Magna Carta

English barons forcing King John to accept written limits on royal power in a meadow at Runnymede.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Sealed in June 1215 after baronial revolt over taxation and arbitrary rule.
• Clause 39 promised no free man would be imprisoned except by lawful judgment — an ancestor of due process.
• The Pope annulled it within ten weeks, yet reissues turned it into a constitutional touchstone for centuries.

Specifications & Metrics

• YEAR: 1215