MAGNA CHARTA

MAGNA CHARTA

The Magna Charta (or the Great Charter) was one of the first agreements, that helped the aristocrats, the clergyman and the simple inhabitants, to get more rights(at the expense of the king). That's why England is called "The cradle of the human rights". Now we're going to tell you how this agreement influenced the history of England. I

John Ohneland (1199-1216). He was called Ohneland, because as his father divided the land, he got nothing.

John was an insidious(treacherous) and swaging character. He killed his nephew Arthur in Rauen 1203, to strenghten his power. He killed him because Arthur was an ally of Phillip II Augustus of France. Then Anjou, Rauen, Carn an Touraine turned away. In the year 1204 was the Normandy in the hand of France, too. The king John just could save Gasonge and Bitou. The king got in conflict with the pope Innozenz III, too.

I 1208 England was imposed with an interdict, because Innozenz III appointed cardinal Stephen Langton as the archbishop against the intention of the king. So all religious acts were forbidden (christian burials included).

In the following year 1209 John was sent into exile for four years by the pope. But the loss of the French possessions  hurt and John needed more money for his mercenary troops. However he overstepped his financial requirements although his careful savings. So he got the malevolence of the aristocrats and the inhabitants. I Then Innozenz offered Phillip II Augustus of France the crown.

A short time before an French invasion, John (as he heard what the pope did)subjected himself to the pope and offered him England and Ireland as feudal. Then the banishment and the interdict got solved by the pope. But a lot of barons complained about the intervention and the nonsensical acting of the king. They were afraid of their feudal law(right of investiture). At last king John Ohneland was willing to negotiate.

The 15 June 1215 became a historical day. On the meadow of Runnymede the Magna Charta libertatum, which was worked out by the aristocrats and the cleric, was signed by the king. I

This document had 63 articles and more than the half of them said that the voluntary intervention of John should be stopped. Especially the rights of the feudal lords got changed to the favour of the barons. Other articles discussed the saving of the farmers, the exemption from duty for (alien) foreign traders and a standard for weight and measure. Legal punishments shouldn't lead to the loss of the land and fortune.

To save these rights a committee of 25 barons was grounded(selected). That was the beginning of an united resistance of the clergymen, the aristocrats and the simple inhabitants against the feudal lord, that means the king. At infringements it was allowed that the barons ask the country for help and they could claim(demand) from everybody an oath of allegiance for co-operation. I

The rights and the justice should not be sold, not be refused and not be delayed, for nobody.

But under the dictatorial and hesitating politic of king Heinrich III (1216-1272) it came to difficulties at the realisation (enforcement) of the Great Charter. But under Edward I(1272-1307)England has founded its "inner peace ". At this time the power of the Magna Charta spread out.

The Magna Charta (originals are in the British museum and the Salisbury cathedral) was a document, which brought a lot of improvements for England. Many interpretations, which were made temporal, were often not true. Some of them you can find in the actual constitution.

But our opinion is, that if all social classes try to correct their life united, it may be successful.

I hope, that you liked our report about the Magna Charta libertatum and that you learned a lot of news about this very important document.