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Britain 1066–1500

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Evil or Unlucky? An Examination of King John

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This is a seven-slide excerpt from Boardworks KS3 History

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Learning objectivesL

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How is history written?

Who was King John?

Was John a bad king, or was he just unlucky?

What was the Magna Carta, and why is it still so important today?

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In 1214 the barons finally rebelled. They thought John was running the country badly and treating them unfairly. At a place called Runnymede they made him sign a document known as the Magna Carta (Latin for the Great Charter).

The barons rebel

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The Magna Carta

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Even today the Magna Carta is of huge symbolic significance because it meant the king’s subjects had placed limits on his power.

The importance of the Magna Carta

For this reason the Magna Carta is often seen as a cornerstone of democracy. In fact, its influence can be seen

today in the constitutions of many democratic countries.

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Can you spot any similarities between the Magna Carta and the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution?

What does this suggest about the importance of the Magna Carta?

The importance of the Magna Carta

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled … except by the lawful judgement of his

equals or by the law of the land.

Fifth AmendmentNo person shall be held to answer for

a crime without trial by a jury, nor

shall their life, liberty or property be taken without following the law.

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How useful was the Magna Carta?

The Magna Carta may have been very influential in later years – but just how useful was it at the time?

On the one hand, the Magna Carta granted what we would now describe as basic rights to all freemen. However, the majority of the population were not freemen, but villeins. For them, the Magna Carta meant nothing.

In any case, the Magna Carta was repealed the year after it was signed, and although it was reissued in 1225, it was heavily amended in favour of the king.

The Magna Carta was an important precedent – but it had little immediate practical impact.

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