BBC News – Just how important is Magna Carta 800 years on?.
This year people in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and plenty of other nations will mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. The document will be lauded for establishing one vital principle.
A new book about Magna Carta is published today which claims to offer new insights into one of the most famous documents in British history.
This year marks the 800th anniversary of the charter’s first signing on 15 June 1215 at Runnymede on the banks of the Thames between Windsor and Staines.
The book by David Carpenter, professor of medieval history at King’s College, London, contains a new translation of Magna Carta and more than 500 pages of historical background and commentary.
The charter was agreed between King John and a group of leading barons, led by Robert fitzWalter, exasperated at the king’s arbitrary rule and high taxes. It was in effect a peace treaty designed to head off armed conflict. It failed.
