More than 800 years after being sealed, Magna Carta still holds a special place as one of history’s most important documents, declaring that no one, not even a monarch, is above the law. It’s a cornerstone for the rights of individuals, and a symbol of democracy, influencing countless thinkers and leaders throughout history – from omas Je erson to Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Yet in 1215, when King John reluctantly gave it the royal seal, it was primarily a peace treaty – and to this end, the ‘Great Charter’ failed miserably.
War between John and his barons resumed within months of the document being sealed, swiftly followed by a French invasion of England. So, if Magna Carta had never existed, very little would have changed in the short term says Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia. “ e tensions between the rival parties would have been as great, or greater, with or without the charter,” he says. “Neither side trusted the other to believe their promises of peace. John deserves his fair share of the blame, having systematically undermined trust between ruler and subjects over the previous 16 years.” e king treated his barons poorly and taxed them heavily, lost English lands in France humiliatingly, and even seemed to have forfeited God’s favour. “By challenging the right of the Pope to appoint an archbishop of Canterbury – Stephen Langton – John alienated the Church, and was branded a tyrant by many of its leaders”, says Vincent.