The Barons demanded the Magna

Carta

from King John.

1215

• 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.
• Key Dates relating to the event: The Magna Carta was signed by King John on June 15, 1215
• Other names for Magna Carta: It is also referred to as the Magna Charter or the Great Charter
• Where was the Magna Carta signed? The Magna Carta was signed by King John in a meadow at Runnymede in Egham, Surrey, South England ( between Windsor and Staines)
• Key People relating to the event: King John of England, Archbishop Stephen Langton and the Barons
• In 1205 King John quarrelled with the Pope Innocent III about who should be archbishop of Canterbury. The Pope wanted a man named Stephen Langton to be archbishop, but King John swore he should never come to England.
• In 1209 The pope retaliated, excommunicated King John and banned all church services in all parish churches
• King John gave in, and Pope Innocent made the king and people pay him money whenever he demanded it.
• Taxes levied by King John were extortionate. His reprisals against defaulters were ruthless and his idea justice was considered avaricious
• In 1212 King John imposes taxes on the Barons in his attempts to regain the lost lands of Aquitaine, Poitou and Anjou
• King John quarrels with the Barons over his methods of ruling England
• The Barons and Stephen Langton decided to curb the King and make him govern by the old English laws that had prevailed before the Normans came. The demands of the Barons were documented in the 'Articles of the Barons' in January 1215
• The Barons took up arms against King John
• The Barons captured London in May 1215
• In June the Barons, in full armor, took King John by surprise at Windsor and he agreed to a meeting at Runnymede
• King John signed and sealed the document 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
• King John had no intention of abiding by the Magna Carta. His duplicity leads to the Barons War between 1215 - 1217. The rebel barons support the son of the king of France, Prince Louis in preference to King John. In 1216 Prince Louis invades England and marches to London where he receives support and is was proclaimed and accepted as King of England (although not actually crowned). King John dies in October. The Barons turn on Prince Louis and supports the nine year old son of King John who then became King Henry III of England.
• Why the Magna Carta was famous and important to the history of England? The charter is considered to be the beginning of constitutional government in England. The Magna Carta demonstrated that the power of the king could be limited by a written grant.

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 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."

It was King John I of England.

The Magna Carta (Great Charter of Freedoms), is the first major English legal charter. It was written in Latin and issued by King John (reigned 1199-1216) and the barons at Runnymede on June 15, 1215. It required the king to proclaim certain rights (for freemen), respect certain legal procedures, and accept that the monarch's will itself could be bound by the law. It was a most significant influence on the long historical process that led to the rule of law in the English-speaking world.

Most people think that King John and the barons actually signed it, but there were in fact no signatures on the original charter, rather a seal placed by King John. In fact, the words of the Magna Carta ("Data per manum nostram") explicitly state that the document was personally issued by the king's hand. The King and the barons were following common law and practice of their time, that a seal was sufficient to certify a deed, in front of the proper witnesses. The barons neither signed nor attached their seals to it.

The barons formed a committee of 25 "Enforcers of the Magna Carta". The information below is combined from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and "An historical essay on the Magna charta of King John" (Richard Thomson - 1829). They are listed with Thomson's order and spelling, but with certain titles and dates added from Oxford. (See related links below.)

1. Richard de Clare, Earl of Clare (d. 1235)
2. William de Fortibus (Forz), Earl of Aumerle (1191-1241)
3. Geoffrey de Mandcville, Earl of Essex and Gloucester (d. 1216)
4. Saber de Quincy, Earl of Winchester (d. 1219)
5. Henry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford (1176-1220)
6. Roger (II) Bigod, Earl of Norfolk (c.1143-1221)
7. Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford (d. 1221)
8. William (II) Mareschall, the younger (c.1190-1231)
9. Robert Fitz- Walter (d. 1235)
10. Gilbert de Clare (c.1180-1230)
11. Eustace de Vescy (1169/70-1216)
12. William de Hardell, Mayor of London
13. William de Mowbray (c.1173-c.1224)
14. Geoffrey de Say (d. 1230)
15. Roger de Mumbezon (Mount Begon), Lord of Hornby in Lancashire (d. 1245)
16. William de Huntingfield (d. in or before 1225)
17. Robert de Ros (c.1182-1226/7)
18. John de Lacy, the Constable of Chester and Lord of Pontefract (c.1192-1240)
19. William de Albeniac (Aubigny), Lord of Belvoir (c.1174-1221)
20. Richard de Percy (b. before 1181, d. 1244)
21. William Malet, Lord of Shepton Mallet in Dorset (c.1175-1215)
22. John Fitz-Robert, Lord of Warkworth, Rothbury, and Barony of Whalton (d. 1241)
23. William de Lanvalay, Lord of Walkern in Hertfordshire (d. 1215)
24. Hugh Bigod (d. 1225)
25. Richard de Muntfitchet (b. after 1190, d. 1267)