800 years of the Magna Carta

[edyzmedieval]

800 years since the 15th of June 1215, when the first iteration of the Magna Carta was signed by King John of England on a field at Runnymede.

Remarkably, after 800 years, 3 statutes of the original Magna Carta (the 1st, 9th and 29th - according to the 1297 version) are still in force today, which highlights the importance of the document throughout the years. Lord Denning even mentioned that this is the most important document in constitutional history. Throughout the years, the Magna Carta went through subsequent confirmations, and essentially the 1297 version is the one in force.

Anyone's thoughts on the importance of Magna Carta?

Cheers to the Magna Carta!

[Brandy Blue]

The thing I find interesting about it is that legally speaking King John granted privileges to his subjects which implies that he or his successors could take them away, whereas actually the barons forced him to sign the document, not exactly at sword point, but not far from it. Either way, it doesn't sound like a legally binding constitutional document to me. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean it can't function as one.

[Husar]

Well, it gave rights to all free men. How many men were actually free at the time? 5? 6?
I read that it was almost forgotten for a while as well until it inspired other people later.
I guess it deserves some credit for the inspiration, but it was apparently meant to give the noblemen more rights under the king, not exactly everyone and certainly not all the people who were literally owned by the noblemen.
Therefore whenever all men and women were declared free and got these privileges would seem like a bigger achievement than some lords wrestling power from the king for themselves.

[InsaneApache]

A not bad analysts Husar.

However with all these things it's more the law of unintended consequences. Yes it's true that the original idea was that it pertained to the Lords and Barons, however the notion that no-one is above the law took it into new territory. No imprisonment without due process. Property rights. Trial by jury of your peers.

These are the building blocks of our common law system. One that we exported all over the planet. UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia......

At last we have decided to mark this historical event. Just a pity that the Septics got there 50 odd years earlier.

[Brandy Blue]

In addition to what Insane Apache pointed out, the Magna Carta has symbolic value.

I don't know much social history, but AFAIK England became a "free country" gradually. Economic conditions and changes in society were as important as legislation and legal rulings. There is no anniversary of England becoming a "free country," but the Magna Carta and 15 June 1215 are symbols of that process. The idea that a bunch of tough barons cornered a bad king and every English person was an unintended beneficiary just has more emotional appeal than "blah blah blah the black death blah blah blah decline of feudal system blah blah blah centralization of authority" etc.

You might compare it to a birthday. Is your birthday really more significant than the other days you've lived through? Well, it is to you if you think it is.

[Husar]

The idea that a bunch of tough barons cornered a bad king and every English person was an unintended beneficiary just has more emotional appeal than "blah blah blah the black death blah blah blah decline of feudal system blah blah blah centralization of authority" etc.

You forgot Hitler.

I mean if you say it was a long process that is going to end where it began then isn't that one event of countless other which are part of the lon process automatically more boring/less significant than the events in countries where the change came more rapidly, such as the French revolution?