The Magna Carta was drafted in 1215 by Archbishop Stephen Langton and English barons to limit King John's powers and protect their privileges. It established a committee of 25 barons who could overrule the king and was a challenge to his authority. Though King John rejected it, his death in 1216 allowed the Magna Carta to be reissued in modified versions under later kings. The 1297 version remains part of English law today.