The Magna Carta

Eight hundred years ago, King John and the feudal barons signed a treaty that states that the king will govern the people with feudal laws. In 1215, John had spent most of his finances trying to hold onto France. He alienated Pop Innocent III, expelled the monks from from Canterbury, and the pope excommunicated him. England became a rogue nation, but to prevent invasion, he accepted the pope's offer for archbishop much to humiliation. John signed the Magna Carta, but it was a failure: it had an enforcement clause  that no self-respecting monarch would have stuck to—establishing a council of 25 barons with the right to seize all the king’s possessions if he broke any of the other clauses. He asked the pope for an annulment a month later. The Magna Carta created a better power balance between the barons and the monarch, and is still relevant today in legal cases. 


1. OMG what was the king's hostage doing to her son??!!??!
She was chewing his face like he was a large slim jim. 

2. At the time, what was England's relationship with its neighbors?

England became a rogue nation, so large powers - France, Wales, Scotland, Rome - tried to overthrow the regime.

 3. Why did King John agree to the Magna Carta? 

He was afraid of being invaded, and when rebels gained ground and invaded England, he had to find a solution.

4. What was the impact of the Magna Carta at the time? 

It was considered a failure at the time, since the idea of pplaying by certain rules wasn't a new idea. 

5. How did later kings use the charter to their advantage? 

Well, John's son was nine, so one of the loyal barons, William Marshal, took over the throne. He reissued the charter, weakening the king's power dramatically, thus the rebels had no more reason to rebel. 

6. How did Edward Coke revive the importance of the charter? 

Coke was the leader of the group of lawyers who fought and successfully brought back the Magna Carta to soothe the English War. 

7. How did American colonial leaders use the Magna Carta? 

The Massachusetts Assembly used it to argue the against taxation without representation.

8. Why is the Magna Carta more important to modern Americans than to the British?

Americans use it to justify their actions towards oppressive forces.