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Magna Carta

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Magna Carta Paper

Magna Carta Paper
The Magna Carta, was established in 1297 A.D., and is one of the most important legal democratic documents in world history. The Magna Carta, written to protect the rights and property of the Barons and Nobles of 13th century England. The livelihood and well-being of the common man or peasants was not taken into account when the nobles illustrated this historic document. According to U.S. National Records & Archives Administration (2007), “No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, disseized, outlawed, banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will we proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land” (p. 1). In this paper, I will be discussing the noble’s complaints concerning the Magna Carta, the noble’s interests compared to the king’s, and some interests that both the king and nobles agreed upon.
One of the biggest complaints that the barons and nobles had about the Magna Carta was the increase in royal taxes. King John, was also increasing abusive commands when it came to the Royal Justice System. The barons and nobles wanted limited rights for the King, but oddly enough more rights for themselves. King John, frequently sold legal rights to the highest paying bidder and used the Royal Justice System to reward the people he held close and punish those people who disobeyed. The barons and nobles were looking for less taxation and less overall power held by the King.
When it came to the barons and nobles of 13th century England, they viewed themselves as high society and wanted to be “legally” treated as such. At one point in 1215, the barons and nobles were so outraged by the oppressive government of King John, that they stormed the gates in an attempt to overthrow the King unless some of the demands were met. After the Magna Carta was written by the barons and nobles, and sealed by King John, the barons and nobles renewed their fealty to the King. The barons and nobles were not going to stand by and allow King John to hold the ultimate power over the people and the government. The barons and nobles inserted many provisions for the King to obey by including, “the importance of its guarantee of the safe return of hostages, lands, castles and family members who had been, or were being, held as “security” for military service or loan agreements” (Richmond, 2011, para. 18).
Although King John did surrender most of his rights when agreeing to sign the Magna Carta, he did secretly write Pope Innocent III asking to cancel the Magna Carta, saying that he was forced to sign the document against his will. The barons and King John did not agree upon much when it came to the Magna Carta, but probably the most significant thing that both King John and the barons agreed upon was “the right to trial by jury”. It was written in the Magna Carta that the “lawful judgement” of a man must be by judges that were the “rulers of the law of the land”. The main purpose of the Magna Carta is not necessarily a document based on the selfish wants of the barons or the nobles. It was more so a document that would hold any King past, present, or future accountable for their actions if they are to disobey the official “law” of the Magna Carta.
The Magna Carta is said to be one of the most important documents of world history. Many countries, including the United States of America used the Magna Carta as a guide in establishing their own form of democracy. There have been many presidents of the United States that have referenced the Magna Carta in their time in presidential office. According to the U.S. National Records & Archives Administration (2007) “"The democratic aspiration is no mere recent phase in human history . . . It was written in Magna Carta" (p.1). In this paper, I talked about the complaints of the barons and nobles, and how they were fed up with the taxation and control King John held over the entire country. I also discussed the interests of the barons and nobles, and how they wanted less power for the king and more rights and privileges for themselves. Finally, I discussed a couple topics that the barons and King John shared. They both heavily agreed upon the right for a man to not be imprisoned solely based on the discretion of the king or people he held in office.

References
Richmond, A. (2011, October 12). The Magna Carta: Ideas for All Seasons. Magna Carta Trust. Retrieved from http://magnacarta800th.com/tag/the-barons/
U.S. National Records & Archives Administration. (2007). The Magna Carta. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/index.html

U.S. National Records & Archives Administration. (2007). Magna Carta Translation. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/translation.html

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