Magna Carta
England had many
kings, some good, some not so good, and some really terrible. King John was a
terrible king. He lied to get his own way. He was also very domineering. He
expected to get everything that he wanted just because he was king.
Promises meant nothing King John. He would promise anything if there was money in it for him, but as soon as he saw an advantage for himself, he broke his word.
King John didn't care for the church. He seized the monastery at Canterbury when the archbishop died. This made the new archbishop of Canterbury furious. His monastery had been taken away by the king.
The archbishop had to do something about King John. The archbishop called all the nobles of England together and read them the law about what they could do. The nobles were awed to learn that they had the legal right to do something about the king's behavior. But they didn’t do anything.
Shortly after this, King John raised the taxes without asking the nobles. The nobles got angry and went to King John. The King promised he would never do that again since it was against the law. A little bit later, King John raised the taxes again.
The nobles were angry. They put on armor and gathered a huge force of nobles together at the town of Runnymede. Armed, they brought the king there. The archbishop read aloud king the Magna Carta. This document stated the rights of the nobles and what they could do to the King if he violated those rights.
King John didn’t want to sign this paper. But there was nothing else he could do. Without the nobles and their knights, he did not have anyone to protect him or the kingdom. So he signed.
The Magna Carta is just a list of the rights of the nobles, but it is a list of rights signed by the king. From that point on, the Kings and Queens of England could only do so much without the help of the nobles, and later on, without the help of the people themselves. It was not democracy, but it was a very important step in that direction.
Promises meant nothing King John. He would promise anything if there was money in it for him, but as soon as he saw an advantage for himself, he broke his word.
King John didn't care for the church. He seized the monastery at Canterbury when the archbishop died. This made the new archbishop of Canterbury furious. His monastery had been taken away by the king.
The archbishop had to do something about King John. The archbishop called all the nobles of England together and read them the law about what they could do. The nobles were awed to learn that they had the legal right to do something about the king's behavior. But they didn’t do anything.
Shortly after this, King John raised the taxes without asking the nobles. The nobles got angry and went to King John. The King promised he would never do that again since it was against the law. A little bit later, King John raised the taxes again.
The nobles were angry. They put on armor and gathered a huge force of nobles together at the town of Runnymede. Armed, they brought the king there. The archbishop read aloud king the Magna Carta. This document stated the rights of the nobles and what they could do to the King if he violated those rights.
King John didn’t want to sign this paper. But there was nothing else he could do. Without the nobles and their knights, he did not have anyone to protect him or the kingdom. So he signed.
The Magna Carta is just a list of the rights of the nobles, but it is a list of rights signed by the king. From that point on, the Kings and Queens of England could only do so much without the help of the nobles, and later on, without the help of the people themselves. It was not democracy, but it was a very important step in that direction.