Magna Carta
In 1215, king john was forced to agree to the demands made by the barons. These were written down in a document called Magna Carta or Great Charter. The barons hoped that it would limit the king's powers and improve their lives. The king had no choice but to sign because the barons would have defeated him in a war. It was signed at Runnymede near the river Thames. The Barons forced the king to sign Magna Carta for a number of reasons, though mainly to suit their own purposes. The barons thought that John was very unfair in many ways. He used the law to punish his enemies and help his friends. The barons wanted all freemen to have a right to a fair trial. Sometimes the barons had arguments amongst themselves and they needed the king to sort out their arguments fairly in his law courts. Yet, they wanted a king who could easily be bribed by a baron to rule in his favour in court.The barons felt very insulted when John only took advice from a few of his most favourite barons.
Many of the barons had land in France which was lost when invaded by the French King. Finally John gave in to the Pope and the ban was lifted. This was a terrible thing for the English people as they could not be christened, receive mass or a Christian burial. John also looked weak in the eyes of the barons. This made John unpopular with the barons because of taxes such as 'scutage' which was money given to the king instead of military service. They wished for a king strong and successful as a soldier. They wanted a king who would not make them pay extra money to him without their agreement. An important clause in the Magna Carter was that the amount of tax would be fixed. When a baron died, his son had to pay 'relief' money before he could take over the land. The barons had to make these payments called Feudal dues, as a form of payment for the land given to them in the feudal system. It was for these reasons that the barons forced the King to sign Magna Carta. Neither John nor the Pope would give in and the Pope was so angry that he banned all Church services in England. The barons thought that they should have a say in how the country should be ruled, since they had to enforce the law in local areas. John came back to England still short of money and a loser in France. They felt that if the Magna Carter worked out, England would be a stronger and better country.
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