2.5.1

The Magna Carta

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Terms of the Magna Carta

The Magna Carta limited King John’s power. It had 63 clauses. This included:

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The importance of the law

  • The Magna Carta established that everyone, including the monarch, was subject to English law.
  • This meant that the King did not have unlimited power.
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Clauses dealing with grievances

  • The majority of the Magna Carta’s clauses dealt with the grievances held by the barons.
  • This mostly concerned land ownership, taxation and the justice system.
  • These clauses included:
    • A limit on the amount of tax barons needed to pay when they inherited lands.
    • The reduction of royal forests.
    • Nobody could be arrested following a woman’s accusation.
  • The majority of these clauses are no longer relevant and not used in English law.
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Clause 39

  • Some of the Magna Carta’s clauses had serious implications for the English constitution.
  • Perhaps the clause with the most far reaching implication was clause 39.
    • This stated that all ‘free men’ had the right to a fair trial.
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Limitations of Clause 39

  • Unlike today, not everyone was ‘free’. Instead, many peasants were ‘villeins’ and belonged to their lords. As such they did not automatically have the right to justice.
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Other clauses still in force

  • The two other clauses which remain in force today are clause one and clause 13.
    • Clause one defends the liberties of the Church.
    • Clause 13 defends the liberties of English towns.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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