On this day, June 15th, 1215, King John of England signed the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta is also known as 'The Great Charter'. It is one of the world's best known documents. It is a document which is as important today, as it was in 1215, as it is a cornerstone of British democracy and law. It has also had other influences within the world, such as with America, in the US Bill of Rights.
The charter, a creation of rebel barons, has originally 63 clauses. Many of the 63 clauses wereeither cut or edited just 10 years after the original Magna Carta was signed, in 1225. Today, only 3 of the original clauses of the 1215 version of Magna Carta still remain in law. They are, one defending the rights of the church, the second gives all citizens the right to a free and fair trail, and the third protects liberties. Many of the other original clauses which have been dropped from the Magna Carta have been dropped because they are not relevant to the modern world.
In its original context, the charter was aimed at being a peace treaty. This aim failed. At the time there was a civil war between King John and his barons. The aim of this treaty was to end this conflict between the two parties. It failed when Pope Innocent III wrote the treaty off just 10 weeks after its publication. It also failed because Magna Carta produced a civil war between King John and his barons.
The charter was saved after King John's death just one year later, in October 1216. John's successor Henry III republished Magna Carta. The reissued version of the Magna Carta had 69 clauses in it. The rest is history.
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