Magna Carta
Runnymede royal concession
Magna Carta is a charter of rights signed by King John of England in 1215, establishing that the monarch was subject to law.
Though most of its specific provisions are obsolete, it became a foundational symbol of constitutional liberty—the principle that government power has limits.
The Bill of Rights traces its ancestry to Magna Carta.
The phrase sometimes refers loosely to any fundamental guarantee of rights.
English meadow, 1215 signing
- King JohnPlantagenet who granted liberties
- baronsTitled nobles, lowest rank
- feudalismLand-for-service social structure
- PlantagenetMedieval English dynasty
rebellion · treaty · Middle Ages · thirteenth century · Archbishop of Canterbury · reissue · Edward I · annulment
Writ challenging lawful custody
- due processGuaranteed judicial fairness
- trial by juryLegal proceeding with citizen judges
- rule of lawSupremacy of established laws
- civil libertiesRights limiting government power
justice · taxation · consent · property rights · inheritance · weights and measures
Underlying support structure
- precedentPrior authoritative example
- common lawJurisprudence from judicial decisions
- Bill of RightsInitial constitutional amendments guaranteeing freedoms
- ConstitutionGoverning principles document
Fifth Amendment · democracy · limited government · separation of powers · Supreme Court · judicial review · Founding Fathers · Blackstone
Treated hide for manuscripts
- sealAuthentication stamp or mark
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- clausesGrammatical or legal units
- provisionsStockpiled food and supplies
articles · copy · British Library · archives · primary source · vellum · Latin · engrossment
Foundational building block
- symbolRepresentational mark or sign
- libertyAbsence of unjust constraint
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- influencePower to affect others
commemoration · anniversary · mythology · reverence · American Revolution · Enlightenment · civil rights · memorials
Runnymede
English meadow, 1215 signing
- King JohnPlantagenet who granted liberties
- baronsTitled nobles, lowest rank
- feudalismLand-for-service social structure
Plantagenet · rebellion · treaty · Middle Ages · thirteenth century · Archbishop of Canterbury · reissue · Edward I · annulment
habeas corpus
Writ challenging lawful custody
- due processGuaranteed judicial fairness
- trial by juryLegal proceeding with citizen judges
- rule of lawSupremacy of established laws
civil liberties · justice · taxation · consent · property rights · inheritance · weights and measures
foundation
Underlying support structure
- precedentPrior authoritative example
- common lawJurisprudence from judicial decisions
- Bill of RightsInitial constitutional amendments guaranteeing freedoms
Constitution · Fifth Amendment · democracy · limited government · separation of powers · Supreme Court · judicial review · Founding Fathers · Blackstone
parchment
Treated hide for manuscripts
- sealAuthentication stamp or mark
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- clausesGrammatical or legal units
provisions · articles · copy · British Library · archives · primary source · vellum · Latin · engrossment · exemplification
cornerstone
Foundational building block
influence · commemoration · anniversary · mythology · reverence · American Revolution · Enlightenment · civil rights · memorials · education
- English Lawbarristers, solicitors, solicitor, High Court, Crown Court
- chartersroyal charters, town charters, city charters
- european historical documentsDomesday Book, Treaty of Versailles, Treaty of Westphalia, Treaty of Rome, Edict of Nantes
- Historic DocumentsDeclaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, Federalist Papers
- Historic ManuscriptsCodex Sinaiticus, Lindisfarne Gospels, Domesday Book, Book of Kells, Gutenberg Bible
- Political TextsThe Communist Manifesto, Communist Manifesto, Leviathan, The Prince, The Social Contract
Magna Cartadivine right of kings
Monarchs rule by celestial mandate
absolutism · absolute monarchy · tyranny · despotism · autocracy
Magna CartaNuremberg Laws
Nazi anti-Jewish statutes
Intolerable Acts · Stamp Act · Dred Scott decision · Jim Crow laws · Fugitive Slave Act
Magna Cartaoppression
Unjust exercise of power
tyranny · absolute monarchy · serfdom · subjugation · Bastille
magnetic, charter, magnitude, magnetism, magnate, magnanimous, magnum, magnum opus, magnitudes