Wednesday Night ONT - July 1, 2026 [Magna Carta]

Greetings Horde!

Hi! I am the Magna Carta. You might remember me from such classics as "The Devil Went down to Runnymede" and "King John is a Big Fat Poopyhead." Thanks for letting me guest post for tonight's ONT!

While the July 4th holiday (rightly) focuses on the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, the American story traces some of its roots back to me. You're welcome!

Let's learn more...

[Top photo: Magna Carta memorial, Runnymede, England, National Trust Images/James Dobson]

Where to start? The beginning of course...

Did you know that I was not originally called the Magna Carta? At the time (1215), I was known as the "Charter of Liberties" (or the "Charter of Runnymede" named after the location of agreement). I was not developed as a major overhaul to the English government or society. I was simply a written confirmation of rights and customs to correct abuses.

England was essentially a feudal system. Nobles and barons were granted estates (aka "huge tracts of land") by the Crown in exchange for loyalty, income and military personnel when required. Lords, knights and vassals gave loyalty in exchange for smaller protection and land. Ultimately, the King sat at the top of the pyramid to manage the country.

England was not a peaceful utopia before the Charter was signed but it operated through a system of laws, traditions and cultural expectations.

By custom, the King was expected to honor the norms but what happens if the King abuses his power and authority? What happens if the King bends or breaks the expected rules of behavior? In many cases, nothing. The King's power was absolute. There was no recourse short of violence and rebellion.

King John of England tested those limits. He was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216 and spent most of that time fighting over Normandy with France. He spent a lot, raised taxes and fees, unilaterally changed prior agreements, confiscated land from barons that could no longer pay, and imprisoned political enemies. He was also deeply suspicious of any barons that had any money or power (i.e., most of them). He was a poopyhead.

At some point, the barons had enough and threatened revolt. Tensions grew over several years until June 1215 when I was born. King John and the barons met at Runnymede, a neutral site between Windsor Castle and Staines-upon-Thames. (Staines? What an unfortunate name.) Five days of mediation resulted in 63 clauses written in Latin that addressed the barons' grievances.

Among other things, I set limits on feudal payments, fair inheritance rules, merchant rights and even contained a redress mechanism for working out future disagreements. Perhaps most noteworthy are my Clauses 39 and 40 where I declared that no free man shall be seized, imprisoned, or stripped of rights "except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land," and that justice would not be sold, denied, or delayed to anyone. Pretty good, huh?

[Salisbury Cathedral: 1215 Magna Carta issue]

I attempted to resolve a power struggle in a feudal country. (Good luck, right!?) I did not overhaul rights and privileges for the entire country or everyone in the population - just the relationship between the barons and the crown. I did not contain new political philosophy and my clauses were not unprecedented. I was a pragmatic compromise. I was an attempt at a peace treaty. The barons renewed oaths of loyalty and copies of the charter were formally issued.

As you might imagine, nobody was happy with me and I failed. Bummer. Neither side trusted the other. The King asked the Pope to reject the deal (which he did). Less than three months after I was born, the First Barons' War erupted. King John died in October 1216, leaving nine year old Henry III as his heir and the war continued.

While I failed, my language was carried into other treaties and attempts at resolving tension between the crown and the barons. The First Barons' War came to an end with the Treaty of Lambeth in September 1217. Subsequently, the Charter of the Forest was issued in November 1217. It was considered an evolutionary complement to the 1215 Charter of Liberties. Having trouble keeping track of the charters? You're not the only one. This is where the Magna Carta name was born and applied to the June 1215 Charter of Liberties to avoid confusing them.

In 1225, King Henry III re-issued and re-affirmed the charter primarily to placate barons who were asked to finance more military action in France. The 1225 affirmation was arguably more voluntary and definitive than the 1215 agreement which gave it strength. Magna Carta principles had staying power but became a bargaining chip for the next several decades. It gave the barons leverage (even if it was cited or ignored when convenient). King Edward I reissued the 1225 charters in 1297 in return for - you guessed it - a new tax.

[National Archives: 1297 Magna Carta issue]

Over the centuries, the narrow, technical clauses of the Magna Carta were largely superseded as obsolete, but the spirit and key legal principles lived on and shaped English (and common law) traditions far beyond the original text.

So which document is the real "Magna Carta"? All of them - but only the 1215 is the original. Subsequent re-issues carried the same name, so knowing the date is important.

How many original "Magna Cartas" exist today? Depends which version you're asking about. Copies were made, but official royal parchment issuance was limited. Consensus is that four each of the 1215, 1225 and 1297 versions remain. (The one on display at the US National Archives is a 1297 vintage.) No wonder people think I have multiple personalities.

I was not perfect but when the American founding fathers declared their independence from England in 1776, they were familiar with my principles. They incorporated my spirit in the drafting of America's birth certificate.

Power has limits. No ruler stands above the law. Legitimate government rests on consent and limits power. Due process. The right to a jury trial. Protection against unreasonable searches. Government exists to secure rights rather than grant them.

Nice to know that what I said in 1215 at Runnymede had enough wisdom and staying power to change history for the better. Now you know.

Happy Birthday, America!

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

Ronaldus Magnus, March 30, 1961

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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