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Magna Carta and the first Parliaments
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Medieval kings were powerful, but not all-powerful. In 1215 the barons forced King John to accept limits on his power.
Bad King John?
King John ruled from 1199 to 1216. He lost Normandy to the King of France in 1204.
He raised heavy taxes to pay for wars to win it back, and punished barons harshly.
He quarrelled with the Pope, who placed England under an interdict: most church services stopped.
He raised heavy taxes to pay for wars to win it back, and punished barons harshly.
He quarrelled with the Pope, who placed England under an interdict: most church services stopped.
Magna Carta, 1215
Rebel barons captured London. In June 1215, at Runnymede near Windsor, John agreed to Magna Carta (Latin for 'Great Charter').
It said the king must follow the law too. A famous clause said no free man could be imprisoned or punished except by the lawful judgement of his equals or the law of the land.
John soon broke it and civil war followed, but Magna Carta was reissued by later kings and became a symbol of liberty.
It said the king must follow the law too. A famous clause said no free man could be imprisoned or punished except by the lawful judgement of his equals or the law of the land.
John soon broke it and civil war followed, but Magna Carta was reissued by later kings and became a symbol of liberty.
The first Parliaments
In 1265 the rebel baron Simon de Montfort called a Parliament that included knights from the counties and burgesses from the towns, not just great lords.
In 1295 Edward I called a Parliament with lords, churchmen, knights and burgesses, later called the Model Parliament.
Kings needed Parliament to agree to new taxes, so it slowly gained power.
In 1295 Edward I called a Parliament with lords, churchmen, knights and burgesses, later called the Model Parliament.
Kings needed Parliament to agree to new taxes, so it slowly gained power.
Explain why Magna Carta is still seen as important today.
- It said the king was not above the law.
- It protected free men from being punished without a lawful trial.
- Later people used it as a symbol when arguing for rights and liberty.
Answer: It set the idea that rulers must obey the law, which inspired later ideas about rights.
John lost Normandy (1204), taxed heavily and fell out with the Pope. Barons forced him to agree to Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215. De Montfort's Parliament (1265) and Edward I's Model Parliament (1295) included knights and townspeople.
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