Brief History of Magna Carta

2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, the influence of which is still felt today around the world. In 1215 the barons of England forced King John to sign a revolutionary document which would change the political landscape not only of thirteenth-century Britain, but of the modern world. Magna Carta was the forerunner of the constitution that limited the powers of the crown and its echoes can be found in the seventeenth-century Civil Wars, the struggles for American Independence, the work of Thomas Paine and in the bedrock constitutional legislation of just about every democratic country today.

As civil Liberties and the rule of law are increasingly brought into question throughout the world, leading medieval historian Geoffrey Hindley breathes vivid life into the story behind the signing of Magna Carta, and reveals the undiminished significance of this ancient document in today s world.

Geoffrey Hindley, educated at Kingswood School, Bath and University College Oxford, is a lecturer and writer. He was three times an invited participant at the International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University; was visiting associate professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville; and has lectured in Europe and America in European culture, Medieval social history and Magna Carta, and the history of music. From 1994 to 2000 he taught English Civilization at the University of Le Havre. He is also co-president of the Society for the History of Medieval Technology and Science of Oxford and London. His many books include The Shaping of Europe, England in the Age of Caxton, The Book of Magna Carta, A Brief History of the Crusades and A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons.

The revolutionary origins of England's constitution, and why Magna Carta's influence is more significant today than ever In 1215 dissident barons forced King John of England to concede a settlement which would change the political landscape of Britain and far beyond over the next 800 years. The document, Magna Carta, immediately sparked ideas that would significantly limit the powers of the crown and be felt 400 years later in the English Civil War, in the eighteenth century in America's struggle for independence, and in today's liberal nations. As the maintenance of civil liberties and the rule of law demands continuing vigilance, and the democratic accountability of Westminster - and still more Brussels - comes increasingly under question, historian Geoffrey Hindley vividly recalls events leading up to the climactic meeting between the barons and the king, explores the communities that were their setting and shows clearly why Magna Carta, although more than 800 years old, is still of such enormous significance today.

2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, the influence of which is still felt today around the world. In 1215 the barons of England forced King John to sign a revolutionary document which would change the political landscape not only of thirteenth-century Britain, but of the modern world. Magna Carta was the forerunner of the constitution that limited the powers of the crown and its echoes can be found in the seventeenth-century Civil Wars, the struggles for American Independence, the work of Thomas Paine and in the bedrock constitutional legislation of just about every democratic country today. As civil Liberties and the rule of law are increasingly brought into question throughout the world, leading medieval historian Geoffrey Hindley breathes vivid life into the story behind the signing of Magna Carta, and reveals the undiminished significance of this ancient document in today s world.

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