Page 48 - All About History - Issue 18-14

Bluff er’s Guide ENGLAND, 1215

The MagnaCarta

What was it?
The Magna Carta was the
first charter that placed limits
on the monarch’s power
and protected the rights of
the people by making the

king adhere to certain legal
procedures and renounce
many of his traditional rights.
It had a massive influence on
constitutional law worldwide
and became the basis for a
host of constitutions, including
that of the United States.

When was it? Where was it signed?
Sealed on 15 June 1215, the charter was preceded King John didn’t sign the Magna Carta; he sealed
by English King Henry I’s Charter of Liberties in it with his Great Seal, a wax seal in a metal mould
1100. However, the Pope renounced the Magna that was attached to documents to indicate the
Carta in August of 1215, deeming it ‘unlawful and king’s approval. The most likely location for the
unjust.’ After King John’s son Henry III came into sealing was the water meadow at Runnymede, as it
power the Magna Carta was reissued in 1225 and lay about mid-way between the barons’ headquarters
gained widespread support. in Staines and the king’s palace at Windsor. A memorial to the Magna Carta was
erected in Runnymede, Surrey, in 1957

48