Magna Carta (Latin for "Great Charter," literally "Great Paper"), also called Magna Carta Libertatum ("Great Charter of Freedoms"), is an English charter originally issued in 1215. Magna Carta was the most significant early influence on the long historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today. Magna Carta influenced many common law documents, such as the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, and is considered one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy.
Magna Carta was originally created because of disagreements between Pope Innocent III, King John, and his English barons about the rights of the King. Magna Carta required the king to renounce certain rights, respect certain legal procedures and accept that "the will of the king could be bound by law." Many clauses were renewed throughout the Middle Ages, and further during the Tudor and Stuart periods, and the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By the early nineteenth century, most clauses had been repealed from English law.
Contents [hide] 1 Events leading to Magna Carta1.1 France1.2 The church1.3 Taxes1.4 Rebellion and civil war1.5 Magna Carta re-issued2 Content of Magna Carta2.1 Rights still in force today2.2 Feudal rights still in place in 12252.3 Feudal rights not in the 1225 charter2.4 Judicial rights (also in 1225 Charter)2.5 Anti-corruption and fair trade (also in 1225 Charter)2.6 Temporary provisions3 1226–14953.1 Great Council4 The Tudors4.1 First uses of the charter as a bill of rights4.2 Reintepretation of the charter4.3 Edward Coke’s opinions5 Magna Carta’s Role in the lead-up to the Civil War5.1 Trial of Archbishop Laud6 Civil War and interregnum6.1 "The Levellers"6.2 "The Diggers"7 Charles II7.1 In Parliament7.2 Outside Parliament7.3 The supremacy of the Commons7.4 The Glorious Revolution8 The eighteenth century8.1 The extent of the Commons' powers8.2 America8.3 Parliamentary sovereignty8.3.1 Granville Sharp8.3.2 The myth-busters8.3.3 The Compromise9 Influences on later constitutions10 Magna Carta and the Jews in England11 Copies12 Participant list13 Notes14 References15 External links16 Credits
There are a number of popular misconceptions about Magna Carta, such as that it was the first document to limit the power of an English king by law (it was not the first, and was partly based on the Charter of Liberties); that it in practice limited the power of the king (it mostly did not in the Middle Ages); and that it is a single static document (it is a variety of documents referred to under a common name). Nonetheless, rights established by the Magna Carta have subsequently become fundamental principles of international human rights and it can be argued that democratic societies developed as a long-term consequence of this charter.
