Magna Carta

In English history, the charter granted by King John (I) Lackland in 1215, traditionally seen as guaranteeing human rights against the excessive use of royal power. As a reply to the king's demands for feudal dues and attacks on the privileges of the medieval church, Archbishop Stephen Langton proposed to the barons the drawing‐up of a binding document in 1213. John was forced to accept this at Runnymede (now in Surrey) on 15 June 1215.

Magna Carta begins by reaffirming the rights of the medieval church. Certain clauses guard against infringements of feudal custom; for example, Clause 2 limits the relief payable by an heir to inherit his father's barony. Others are designed to check extortions or maladministration of justice by royal officials. The privileges of London and the cities were also guaranteed.

As feudalism declined, Magna Carta lost its significance, and under the Tudors was almost forgotten. During the 17th century it was rediscovered and reinterpreted by the Parliamentary party as a document of democracy, guaranteeing the rights of the people. Such rights were particularly seen to be enshrined in Clause 12, which appeared to forbid taxation without consent, and Clause 39, which states that ‘no freeman shall be...imprisoned...except by lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land’. In this way, a direct link has been claimed from Magna Carta through to the UK Bill of Rights (1689), the US Declaration of Independence (1776), and the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

Four original copies of Magna Carta exist, one in Salisbury Cathedral, one owned by Lincoln Cathedral and on display at Lincoln Castle, and two in the British Library, London.