15
June 1215 A.D. Magna Carta in England
Graves, Dan. “Great Charter for England.” Christianity.com. Apr 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1201-1500/great-charter-for-england-11629819.html. Accessed
3 May 2014.
In English history no document
has been as much of a foundation to civil rights as the Magna Carta. Archbishop
Stephen Langton, a man so holy it was said he put all Rome to shame, was the
document's main architect. At stake were issues of importance to both church
and nobles.
England's barons were on the
threshold of revolt against John, their high-handed King when Stephen Langton
brought to their attention an old charter granted by Henry I. The archbishop
and the nobles amplified the principles in Henry's charter and presented their
Great Charter to King John at the field of Runnymead on this date, June 15, 1215, where he grudgingly
sealed it.
Langton had every inducement to
resist the king. Not only had John refused him his seat at Canterbury, but he
had driven Langton's friends and family into exile. When excommunication
finally brought John to heel and Langton to Canterbury, the archbishop had
little liking for the tyrant.
By throwing his influence behind
John's rebel barons, Langton increased their chance of success. Scholars have
grumbled that Magna Carta placed undue emphasis on concerns of the church and
knights. There is something to that complaint. The very first
"chapter" says, "In the first place [we] have granted to God and
by this our present Charter have confirmed, for us and our heirs in perpetuity,
that the English church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished
and liberties unimpaired ...”
However, Magna Carta's two most
lasting provisions have benefited untold millions of commoners. These are trial
by a jury of one's peers and a prohibition against new taxes without the
permission of national representatives. Implied was the authority of the barons
to check a king, an idea which led to modern parliaments. The monarchy was not
absolute.
Runnymead was not the end of the
story. John, loathe to yield even a fraction of his power, appealed to the
pope, promising to become his vassal. The pope voided Magna Carta. The barons persisted,
however, and within two years a newer version was approved.
Henry III accepted and reissued
the Magna Carta, making it law. After that, kings on their accession were often
made to swear to uphold the provisions of the charter. Existing manuscripts
vary in wording. Argument exists as to which is the most authoritative.
Bibliography:
1. Barry, William. Story of the
Nations: Papal Monarchy. Putnam, 1902. Source of the image.
2. Holt, James C., Editor. Magna
Carta and the Idea of Liberty. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1972.
3. Howard, A. E. Dick. Magna Carta;
text and commentary. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1964.
4. "John" and
"Langton, Stephen." Dictionary of National Biography. Edited by
Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. London: Oxford University Press, 1921 - 1996.
5. Various encyclopedia articles on
King John, Stephen Langton, and Magna Carta.
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