The Magna Carta

One of the most important historical events of the Medieval era is the Magna Carta. What exactly is the Magna Carta? It is a document that King John of England (1166 - 1216) was forced into signing. King John was forced into signing the charter because it greatly reduced the power he held as the King of England and allowed for the formation of a powerful parliament. The Magna Carta became the basis for English citizen's rights. The purpose of the Magna Carta was to limit the King and make him govern by the old English laws that had prevailed before the Normans came. The Magna Carta was a collection of 37 English laws - some copied, some recollected, some old and some new. The Magna Carta demonstrated that the power of the king could be limited by a written grant. The content of the Magna Carta was drafted by Archbishop Stephen Langton and the most powerful Barons of England. King John signed the document which was originally called the 'Articles of the Barons' on June 10, 1215. The barons renewed the Oath of Fealty to King John on June 15, 1215. The royal chancery produced a formal royal grant, based on the agreements reached at Runnymede, which became known as Magna Carta. Copies of the Magna Carta were distributed to bishops, sheriffs and other important people throughout England.
The Magna Carta, or "Great Charter," consisted of 63 clauses of specific promises made by King John to correct the lords' complaints in return for their renewed loyalty. Certain clauses were simply restatements of customs that John and his ancestor kings had come to ignore. Some paragraphs took the time to name royal agents hated by the barons, who then announced that the careers of these men were at an end. The barons made sure to reward London's merchant community for its support of their rebellion by attempting to standardize currency and weights and measures. One central paragraph outlawed extraordinary payments to the king without the "common counsel" of the people.
Clause 1 contains at least two important changes. The first is its statement that “the Church of England shall be free.” A second important part of Clause 1 is the use of the word freemen. Over time, the category of freemen came to apply to an increasingly wide range of people, and this has allowed the Magna Carta to be interpreted flexibly over the centuries. Clauses 2-7 address feudal relationships and rights. They define the boundaries of relationships with the king and protect the rights of the nobles from the royal authority. Clause 8 indicates the relationship between debtors and sureties. A surety was someone who was responsible for a debt if the debtor could not pay. This clause says that a debt collector could not go to the surety without first attempting to collect the debt from the debtor. Clause 9 states that London was granted all of the traditional rights and privileges that the city previously had. Clause 10 defines the terms of military service under the feudal code. Clauses 11 through 14 deal with issues of justice. Clauses 15-24 define the feudal rights of the king and the barons. They applied to property and matters of civil justice. Clauses 19 through 21 share the common theme of property rights. Clauses 25 through 29 deal with fundamental issues of fairness. Clause 30 provided for free trade with merchants of all nations not at war with the king. Clause 31, enabled barons to regain the rights that they had held under previous kings but that had not been recognized by King John. Clause 32, deals with the practice of subdividing feudal estates in order to break down the feudal order. Clause 33 specifies who would have guardianship over churches. Clause 34 eliminated the advantage women were seen to have, female accusers had been able to hire a defender, but an accused man had to fight for himself. Clause 35 returns to the issue of judicial procedure. Clause 36 attempted to prevent the injustices of owning church lands. Finally, Clause 37 regulated the practice of escuage, also called scutage. This term referred to the obligation of a tenant to follow his lord in military service at his own expense.
The Magna Carta was arguably one of the earliest significant influences of the historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today in the English speaking world. The Magna Carta influenced the development of the common law and many constitutional documents, including those that are in the United States.