Agreed between King John and his barons at Runnymede, as the first document to limit the power of the monarchy and assert the certain liberties granted to free men, the medieval Great Charter of 1215 is considered the foundation of English common law.
Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter), also called Magna Carta Libertatum or The Great Charter of The Liberties of England, was originally issued in Latin in June 1215. it was sealed Under oath by King John at Runnymede, on the banks of the River Thames near Windsor, on June 15th, 1215. at the time issued it, the charter was intended to promote peace between the king and his powerful barons, yet it provoked War instead. In fact, it was legally valid for barely three months and its terms were never fully executed; yet it was issued several times in different forms during the 19th century.
Nevertheless, the Magna Carta was the first document forced on to a King of England by a group of his subjects, in an attempt to limit Royal Powers by law and protect subjects feudal rights. by putting royal power under secular law, the charter initiated the protracted historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law in England and Beyond, giving rise to such basic protections as representative government, common law, babeas corpus, and other trial rights.
The charter has over 60 clauses covering many areas of the nation’s life, including the right to a fair trial.
For example:
No Freeman is to be taken or imprisoned or disseised of his free tenement or of his liberties or free customs or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go against such a man or send against him to save by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of land. to no one will we sell or deny or delay right or Justice.
Several copies of the charter were written immediately after King John agreed to peace terms with his barons at Runnymede. They were sent around the country as evidence of the king’s decision. It was written in Latin by hand, by an expert scribe, on vellum.
The document’s importance has endured to make it a cornerstone of the rule of law. As the first codification of English civil liberties, the Magna Carta has come to symbolize justice, fairness, and human rights. Its laws were important in the colonization of America, as England’s legal system was used as a model for many of the colonies as they were developing their own legal systems. Three clauses still remain part of the law of England and Wales, and it is still considered to be one of the most important constitutional documents of all time.
The four surviving original copies of Magn Carta (two held at the British Library of London, one at the Salisbury Cathedral, and one at Lincoln Cathedral) were displayed together for the first time in 2015, marking the document’s 800th anniversary.
