Magna Carta

Magna Carta, meaning the Great Charter, was sealed by King John of England at Runnymede, beside the Thames, under pressure from rebellious barons who were angry about heavy taxation and arbitrary royal power. Drafted with the help of Archbishop Stephen Langton, it promised that the king would respect certain rights and customs, including protection from unlawful imprisonment and the principle that justice should not be sold or denied. The first version failed as a peace settlement and Pope Innocent III annulled it within weeks, but it was reissued in revised forms under John's successors. Over the centuries it became a symbol of the idea that rulers are subject to law, and it influenced later constitutional documents.

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