Guide Note

The Magna Carta was a historical agreement between the king and his nobles written in England in 1215. The document limited royal power by holding the king responsible to the law. The terms of the agreement are the earliest documented influence of modern constitutional law.

Though it has been amended throughout the centuries, The Magna Carta is a direct influence on the development of constitutional law in England, and provides some of the foundation of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Fast Facts

1. Created: June 15, 1215
2. Officially sealed at Runnymede, England
3. Sealed by King John
4. Also known as: Magna Carta Libertatum
5. Agreement applied not only to John, but in perpetuity
6. Multiple copies exist
7. Was amended many times since it was first created
8. By the late 1800s, most of the original clauses had been repealed
9. An edited version is still recognized as English and Welsh law

John of England was crowned King in 1199 and faced numerous failures both domestically and abroad. Nobles perceived him to be abusing his regal powers and soon rebelled. After numerous barons led an armed force into London, John was forced to acquiesce to their demands. He attached his seal to the Magna Carta on five days later on June 15, 1215.

Despite being altered extensively throughout the centuries, clauses 36-40 of the Magna Carta explicitly established the right of habeas corpus, a central feature of the American Bill of Rights.