Sunday, November 14, 2010

Magna Carta- 1215

Today, I interviewed King John.

Q: Why were all these people mad at you?
A: I had a big of an argument with the Pope, and he excommunicated me. He also sent a papal order that said Church services could not be held in my entire kingdom. So, to save myself, I accepted England as a fief of the Pope and had to pay a yearly tax to Rome. To pay this money, I had to tax my own people. They got pretty sick of heavy taxes.

Q: So what did they do?
A: A group of barons forced me to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. It said that nobles had certain righs and that monarchy (as in me, at the time) had to obey the law just like everyone else. They also made sure that legal rights of townspeople and the Church were protected, and these rules and clauses formed due process of law. Parliament was created in England after this.

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