Nathan Darmiento

HIST 1100
Document Analysis Essay

Written over 800 years ago, the “Magna Carta” was an important document that

emphasized the idea of individual rights. Before this charter was written, there was no other

document that explicitly called for all the reforms the “Magna Carta” demanded. In this sense, it

was a revolutionary document. The “Magna Carta” was a turning point in western civilization

because it called for equal justice under the law and various reforms that sought to alleviate the

tyranny of the kings of England.

In AD 1215, the barons of England rebelled against King John of England. At the time,

King John also had to deal with the growing power of the French king, Philip. As a result of this

rebellion, the barons forced the English

king to put his seal on the charter they

wrote. The idea behind it was to lay out

details as to how King John should

govern his kingdom. The document was

intended for the king to read and follow

the new ‘laws’ established, but it also

was intended for the king’s subjects to know their new rights as freemen.

While I was reading the document, I was able to identify key themes the charter tried to

address. One of those was about how to deal with heirs of land or property and general land

reforms. This applied to an individual’s land, but also to forest lands. King John and his
predecessors were prone to seize private property and forest land on the pretext that it was

needed to fund the crusades they undertook. This, of course, angered their subjects and the

charter attempted to address this issue.

Another theme the “Magna Carta” addresses is the notion that the laws apply to everyone

equally and fairly. There are several clauses that explicitly entail that laws apply to barons, earls,

and freemen equally but their punishments need to be proportionate to their offense. Halfway

through the charter, there is a set of three clauses that encompass this idea thoroughly:

38. No bailiff in the future shall put any one to his law on his simple affirmation,
without credible witnesses.
39. No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or dispossessed, or outlawed, or
banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will we act against him, nor send [anyone]
against him, except by the legal judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.
40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.

What these three clauses are saying was revolutionary in its time. Clause 38 is

basically saying that no one should be questioned on a legal matter without being sworn

in before legal witnesses. That is one step closer to having a fair and open trial. Clause 39

is straightforward in saying that no free man can be punished or imprisoned without

having a trial with a jury of his peers and proof that he broke the law. Clause 40 reiterates

the idea of equal justice to all and no one would be denied justice. Together, these three

clauses are powerful and set the stage for the early steps of western liberal democracies.

The “Magna Carta” was ahead of its time in some respects. It emphasized the

notion that freemen under the rule of a king had certain rights afforded to them. Even the

king had to abide by these laws. This was very important because at the time this was

written, monarchs were dictatorial in their rule and the citizens living in their kingdoms
were subject to their brutality and mercy. Other offenses the King commited that the

document brings up is his raising of taxes that were too expensive to pay, taking grain,

timber, vegetables, and money from his subjects, and confiscating castles from barons.

This charter tried to put an end to this abuse of power and tyrannical rule.

Even though the charter was not successful at first, it laid the foundations for what

would eventually be a constitutional rule. It did little in stopping monarchical powers

initially, but some 80 years later, it was confirmed into law. The ideas that it promoted

are staples of many western democracies today. Equal justice

to all, limiting the power of kings and governments,

individual rights, and protecting private property all are

things that it forced the King of England to agree to.

The “Magna Carta” was one of the first steps taken in

the long journey towards a liberal democracy. Even though

we are told to not compare history to our modern time, it is

difficult to ignore the importance this document has on our

world today. The same things the people of England were

angry about are things we still deal with today. Our society is

based on the notion that justice is equal to everyone and limiting the power of

governments comes before all else. These are ideas that have roots in England in AD

1215. This document signalled a threshold in western civilization because of its

revolutionary ideas and reforms.