The Magna Carta
If nowadays the government held all power over citizens in the country, people wouldn’t be very pleased. The nation would rebel if they were being charged taxes without representation or if a free man had his land taken away for no reason, until a change was made that gave the citizens fair rights that they deserved. This happened hundreds of years ago, the reason why the Magna Carta was written on 1215. In the English government the English King Henry was first succeeded by his son Richard the Lion-Hearted, hero of the Third Crusade. When Richard died, his younger brother John took the throne. John ruled from 1199 to 1216. He failed as an army leader, earning the nickname John Softsword. John lost Normandy and all his lands in northern France to the French. This loss caused a confrontation with his own nobles. Some of John’s problems stemmed out of his own character. He was mean to his subjects and tried to squeeze money out of them. John raised taxes to an all time high to finance his wars. His nobles revolted and were not willing to take this type of behavior anymore. King John was disliked for punishing his enemies without trial, and the signing of a document changed it all. On June 15, 1215 in England, King John faced opposition to his taxation measures from an alliance of nobles, townspeople, and church officials. The nobles forced John to agree to the most celebrated document in English history, the Magna Carta or also known as the Great Charter. This document created by the English nobles and unwillingly approved by King John, guaranteed certain basic political rights. The nobles wanted to safeguard their own feudal rights and limit the king’s powers. In later years, however, English people of all classes argued the certain clauses in the Magna Carta applied to every free citizen. Guaranteed...