Magna Carta

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Domains

Human Rights
Regulation of government and electoral processes

Dates

Date of occurrence 1215

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

Recommended Reading

The Magna Carta set out a series of limitations on the power of the English kings and was extorted from King John by a council of nobles, bishops and merchants at Runnymede in Berkshire on June 15^th 1215. It has been seen as the foundational step in the formation of democratic power in England, and hence more widely.

The charter was drafted after intense negotiations following King John's failure to recover his lost French lands at the battle of Bouvines in 1214. His rule (from 1199) had been characterised by cruelty excessive for a cruel age, especially in his efforts to control the baronry whom he suspected of seditious intentions (which his cruelty did much to feed). When his military failure compounded his abuse …

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278 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Magna Carta". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 January 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=684, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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