The Magna Carta was a document signed in 1215 that placed King John under the law and protected citizens' rights. It came about as barons revolted against King John's heavy taxation without consultation. The Magna Carta divided old laws and introduced new clauses, including that the King must obey the laws of the land. It promised fair laws and access to courts without financial barriers. Twenty-five barons were given responsibility to enforce the Magna Carta through force if necessary.

1. MAGNA CARTA
Lauren Ashworth
Melissa Rivera
1st Period

2. HISTORY
 England’s King, Richard I, Died in 1199. During his rule King
Richard taxed barons very heavily to help fund the third crusade.
When his brother John took the thrown he inherited the resentment
of the barons. John provoked a war with France and nearly lost all
that he had. To pay for the war he placed high financial demands on
the barons with out consulting them.

3. MAGNA CARTA
 Due to the high finical demands the barons revolted against King
John. In 1215 they forced him to sign a document, The Magna Carta,
that placed the King under the Law and protected the rights of
citizens.
 The Magna Carta was not made completely of new laws. It also
rewrote old laws. One new clause was that the King must obey the
laws of the land as well as the people.

4. MAGNA CARTA
 The Magna Carta can be divided into sections :
- The first clauses concern the position of the Catholic Church in England.
- Many of the clauses concern England's legal system.
- Magna Carta promised laws that were good and fair. It states that everyone shall
have access to courts and that costs and money should not be an issue if
someone wanted to take a problem to the law courts.
- It also states that no freeman will be imprisoned or punished without first going
through the proper legal system. In future years the word "freeman" was replaced
by "no one" to include everybody.

5. MAGNA CARTA
 The last few sections deal with how the Magna Carta would be enforced in England. Twenty
five barons were given the responsibility of making sure the king carried out what was stated in
the Magna Carta - the document clearly states that they could use force if they felt it was
necessary. To give the Magna Carta an impact, the royal seal of King John was put on it to show
people that it had his royal support. This is the largest red seal at the bottom of the Magna Carta.

6. SUMMARY
1.The Church - The Church was to be free from royal interference,
especially in the election of bishops
2.Taxes - No taxes except the regular feudal dues were to be levied,
except by the consent of the Great Council, or Parliament
3.The right to due process which led to Trial by Jury
4.Weights and Measures - All weights and measures to be kept
uniform throughout the realm.

7. DID YOU KNOW?
The Magna Carta is also known as
the Big character or the Great
Character. Although it is of
English origin, it is very important
to Americans today. The U.S.
Constitution was loosely based off
this document. The Magna Carta
has survived for over 800 years.

8. RESOURCES
 We used the book attached with the study guide.
 http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/magna-carta.htm
 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/magna_carta.htm