What actually is Magna Carta?

So what is Magna Carta?

Magna Carta, meaning ‘the Great Charter’, has inspired people across the centuries, from Thomas Jefferson to Mahatma Gandhi.

Magna Carta was intended to create peace between King John and his rebellious barons but a civil war followed with the Pope rejected the charter.To keep the peace, Magna Carta was reissued throughout the 13th century, until it was finally made part of English law - and the rest is history!

Magna Carta has lived on for 800 years, and is echoed in the United States Declaration of Independence and European Convention of Human Rights.

Why is the document so important?

There are 63 clauses in the Magna Carta, yet the third clause remains the most important. It gives free men the right to justice and a fair trial.

How much did it evolve over 800 years?

King John met with his barons, who refused to pay taxes in order to fund his wars abroad. However, after taking hold of London, King John was forced to met with them at Runnymede in Surrey on this day in 1215.

An eager clerk captured the agreement word-for-word in a document we now know as the Magna Carta. Although its initial use dealt more with medieval rights and customs, Magna Carta has become a powerful symbol of liberty around the world.

Martin Dowse takes a special look at the history of Magna Carta.