Magna Carta Signed: King John Grants Rights
English barons forced King John to affix his seal to Magna Carta at Runnymede on June 15, 1215, after a rebellion triggered by his heavy taxation and arbitrary justice. The charter contained 63 clauses, most dealing with feudal land rights and tax limits. Clause 39, guaranteeing that no free man would be imprisoned "except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land," became the foundation of due process. Clause 40, "to no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice," remains in English law today. Pope Innocent III annulled the charter within months, and civil war erupted. Magna Carta was reissued with modifications after John's death in 1216 and became embedded in English law. Its principles influenced the US Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and legal systems worldwide.
June 15, 1215
811 years ago
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