Magna Carta

• Conspiracy regarding Arthur

  Arthur, John's nephew and a possible alternative to king, was murdered. Some say John did it himself, others merely that he ordered it
• Why were taxes and the scutage under King John so high?

  • In 1204, John lost his land in Normandy to the French king
  • Spent rest of rule winning it back
  • War was expensive
  • John needed a lot of money to pay mercenaries to fight for him in France
• What was the scutage?

  A payment knights and barons could make instead of fighting for the king
• How did taxes and scutage lead to barons' discontent?

  • He had used it 11 times since 1199 and each time the barons had to pay more
  • When another demand arrived in 1214, many refused to pay
  • They no longer believed John had the political will, or the military might, to retake his French lands
• How did religion and the dispute with the church impact the relationship between barons and king John?

  • In 1207, Pope Innocent III appointed Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury - he was a learned churchman widely regarded as a good choice, except for King John
  • John wanted to appoint leading churchmen himself, and bind them to his policies
  • The Pope excommunicated John and banned all church services in England until the King relented
  • In 1212, he even said it was no longer a sin to kill the king and many barons plotted to do that
• Why was King John happy with the dispute with the Church?

  None of the Church's wealth went to Rome, instead going to the King and helping the royal finances
• How was war the final straw for the barons to take actions against king John?

  • John suffered a defeat in France, in 1214, at the Battle of Bouvines
  • It was obvious John could not retake Normandy
  • Another demand for scutage in early 1215 met resistance from the barons, who now started to plan how to challenge John
• How did the Pope react to the barons wanting to get rid of John?

  Backed John, ordering the barons to support their king
• How was the Magna Carta signed?

  • The barons and the king with his remaining few supporters met at Runnymede in June 1215
  • The barons, with Stephen Langton, drew up their own list of grievances and demands which they presented to the King for him to agree
  • John was in such a weak position that he felt he had no option but to sign the charter
• Differences in the aims of John signing the Magna Carta between him and the barons

  • John considered this a temporary agreement whilst he rebuilt his forces
  • The barons considered this a chance to make John behave the way a king should
• Why did civil war break out after the signing of the Magna Carta?

  When the 25 barons tried to implement the terms of the Magna Carta, King John refused to accept their right to impose decisions on him, and civil war broke out (First Barons' War)
• How did the Pope react to the Magna Carta?


  Declared it invalid
• How did the defeat of King John come about?

  • The barons made an alliance with the King of Scotland, and invited Prince Louis of France, heir to the French throne, to come to England and be crowned king
  • He did this, bringing an army with him in May 1216
  • King John initially had some success, sacking the town of Berwick, but lacked the wealth and support necessary to defeat the barons
• Impact of reissuing Magna Carta

  • John's successor, Henry III, reissued the Magna Carta in 1216, 1217 and 1225
  • This helped him secure peace between the monarchy and the barons
  • It also became a bargaining tool, ensuring King Henry could increases taxes for reaffirming the charter's principles
• Long term outcomes of the Magna Carta

  • The clause about the right to a fair trial still applies today
  • People commonly referred to the Magna Carta to defend their rights
  • It inspired many protests and documents, such as the Chartist Movement and the United Nation's Declaration of Human Rights
• Who did the Magna Carta apply to and its significance?

  • Promises in the Magna Carta only applied to freedmen and so didn't affect the majority population (who were peasants)
  • This is significant as it shows peasants still had very few rights