Magna Carta

The Magna Carta was important for several reasons:

• It outlined basic rights for all people
• It was the original model of modern British democratic constitution, and thus became the model for other documents such as the US Constitution
• It strengthened the idea that a monarch's power was limited, not absolute.
• It took the exclusive power over the state away from the Monarch and spread power among others as well - first the nobles, then the common people

The Magna Carta was and remains the major source of traditional English respect for individual rights and liberties. Latin for "Great Charter", the Magna Carta was a contract between the king and the nobles of England. It contained certain important principles which limited the power of the English monarch over his subjects. It implied that monarchs had no right to rule in any way they pleased and were forced to govern according to law; which is essentially saying that all most obey the law even the king, which is an important part of modern liberties and justice.

The rights which it set down became part of English law and are now the foundation of the constitution of all countries which speak English. It did not grant any new rights, but it did protect existing rights in writing. These rights included the basic right of anyone convicted of a crime to a jury trial; protection of private property; reasonable limits on taxes and a degree of guaranteed religious freedom. The Magna Carta was a significant influence on the long historical process that has resulted in the rule of constitutional law today.

The Magna Carta came about because King John (who only became king in 1199 when his brother King Richard I died) had a reputation for being tyrannical. His reign was marred by continuous war losses, beginning with the loss of Normandy to Philippe Auguste of France and ending with England torn by civil war. King John risked being forced out of power because of his mismanagement. By 1215, England's nobility was fed up with paying extra taxation. Members of this nobility rebelled and captured London. In June, the King met these barons at Runnymede on the River Thames to try and reach a peaceful settlement. The King reluctantly agreed to their demands by signing the Magna Carta on 15 June 1215. It was intended to limit the powers of the monarch and proclaimed certain liberties for "freemen."