By Gabrielle Martin, News Editor.
It’s no secret that today politicians occasionally don’t live up to their promises. That was still the case 800 years ago.
In medieval times, under the feudal system, Barons leased land from the King and were in complete control of said land. The Barons did everything from creating their own justice system to setting taxes for those living in the land. In addition, Barons provided knights to the King to use in his military.
Barons often benefited greatly from this arrangement and were very wealthy; however, King John (ruled 1199 -1216) abused his power in this arrangement. He heavily taxed the Barons and asked for many Knights to help pay for and fight for his war mongering in France.
In January 1215, the Barons decided enough was enough. They asked for a written charter defining their rights and liberties. The King assembled an army to fight the rebel Barons; the Barons withdrew their allegiance to the King. King John ordered his Sheriffs to squelch the rebellion; the Barons fought back by occupying London.
In an effort to avoid a full-out Civil War, Archbishop Stephen Langton arranged a meeting between the Barons and the King. On June 15, 1215, King John of England gave his official seal to the Article of the Barons, which later became the Magna Carta.
“The Magna Carta has become important through history because it enshrines the idea that the King is subject to the law and that they people have rights that can’t be aggregated by the government,” says history professor, Laura Dull.
However, the agreement didn’t last long. No sooner had the King given his seal then he sent word to Pope Innocent III asking him to declare the Magna Carta void. Pope Innocent was all too happy to oblige the King; on Aug. 24, 1215, Pope Innocent III issued the Papal Bull, announcing the Magna Carta void.
“It was basically both the king and the pope saying they were going to support the status quo,” says Dull.
The Magna Carta’s journey didn’t end on Aug. 24, though. A couple of the clauses helped impact what would later be in the United States Constitution. Clause 39 of 63 of the Magna Carta states that, “No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.”
Sound familiar? The fourth amendment of the United States Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures while the sixth amendment gives the right to a speedy trial.
The people of England did get their Magna Carta back; in 1225, King Henry signed a revised version. Three clauses of the original Magna Carta remain part of English law today.
