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History Podcast: 1215 and all that: a Bad King, and a Good Thing Taking Liberties with Magna Carta · Issued at Runnymede June 1215 · Grandfather of all our liberties · Totemic qualities it still possesses · 42 day detention of rule · Citizen is guaranteed against the state · Public liberties, rights of the citizen What it says · Only historical document in English that everybody has heard of · Contains some clauses that even today have general significance and are believed to guarantee the rights of the people · 39 and 40 clauses are still on the statute book today: no man outlawed, enslaved etc. Lands taken off him except by law of the land, no one will we not sell of refuse right or justice · 60+ clauses · Less relevant causes e.g removal of fish weirs from rivers · 50-51 removal of Gerald Daffy etc. Some clauses are very personal and less for the good of the kingdom · Removal all alien knights etc. Basically anyone not English · Opening of the charter begins conventionally enough with name of the king, those who attended the issue at Runnymede beginning with AB of C · First clause: we have granted to God – initially granted not to citizens of England but to God king speaking directly to the almighty. Context · Why did he sign Magna Carta? Peace treaty to begin with · May 1215 Barons had seized London and held it against the king forcing him into negotiations with his Barons · Need for peace treaty? Because John was a slippery character · Opinions of John differ little from 13th C similar to Matthew Paris view “hell itself is defiled by the vileness of John” · 19th C “king John cruel as Nero” “combined in his single person all the vices who ever held the crown” · Charged with a whole catalogue crimes · Henry II 1189 John had rebelled against his father although he was his favourite · 1190s Richard crusading etc. John rebelled again · 1199 Richard died John seized the throne (argued to have belonged to Arthur of Brittany son of Geoffrey) · 1200 John remarried divorcing Isabel of Gloucester but kept her lands, married southern French heiress Isabella of Angouleme (8-14 years old) · Isabella already betrothed to southern French Baron Hugh du Lusignan (withheld consummation because of her age) Hugh rebelled and dragged Arthur of Brittany · 1202 in a brilliant military manoeuvre he held Arthur captive at Mirebeau · Arthur led into captivity and never seen again – John believed to have killed him · Phillip declared John’s French lands forfeit and seized John’s possessions in Northern France: Normandy, Maine and Anjou · 1203 John lost Normandy 1204 retreated to England · John back in a realm unaccustomed to having a King · Set on reclaiming his lands and raised extraordinary taxation to pay for reclamation of continental lands · Came into conflict with Barons and Knights who did not wish to pay those taxes · Fell out with the English church and confiscated a large part of their estates taking their revenues for his re-conquest · Arose from his refusal to allow Stephen Langton become AB of C, John wanted Bishop of Norwich: John de Gray. Papacy excommunicated them · Interdict 1208-124 over England – lack of church services · 1213 John came to terms with Church allowed Langton back into England placed England under direct papal sovereignty and paid the Pope 100,000 marks a year · Placing England under the red hand of Rome · 1214 John spent collected money on an expedition to France to attack Philip · August 1214 at Bouvines John’s northern fork cut off · Forced back to England with money and reputation gone · Stirrings of Baronial discontent · May 1215 seizure of London by Rebel Barons · Lustful of Barons wives? Cause of discontent · When friends deserted him he punished their families · Suspicious man · Pipe rolls of government 1210 (middle of John’s reign) (written in medieval latin) tell us about nature of kingship · John kept a copy of everything: outgoing and ingoing 00.00minutes – 30.10minutes/68.20
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