Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty

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There are interesting short biographies of the barons involved in witnessing and enforcing the charter, and a timeline of the charter from its origins to where it sits now. Jones takes us through the events that led up to its creation and the impact it's had on western society. And it does so with a passion, eloquence and lyrical reverence for the hard-won freedoms of Old England that take the breath away. Compounding discontent among the nobility were tax increases during Richard I’s reign (1189–99), which resulted from his Crusade, his ransom, and his war with France. It also explains how this text has become an enduring symbol of freedom in Britain and throughout the world.

It fell out of favor by the more imperial Tudors (it’s not even mentioned in Shakespeare’s play King John). John continued a lot of these policies, but he went a step further, angering them (and the Church) even more, and failing to keep a lot of the French territories he had inherited from his parents’ union. Definitely a good primer for the subject if you are vaguely interested in the history of this document- as a student of law, history, etc. John’s dissatisfaction with that clause and its implementation was recorded by chronicler Matthew Paris, and historians since that time have questioned its genesis.I was surprised to learn that the lofty ideals we associate with it (liberty, justice, and the rights of citizens) are not clearly articulated in the way we imagine.

Nearly all of it was short-sighted, with only a few random clauses harkening to any higher principle. David Carpenter deserves to replace Sir James Holt as the standard authority, and an unfailingly readable one too. I had heard it referenced in vague, patriotic platitudes, and I know it was important; whatever it was. Honestly, the leadup is not that interesting, in my view, given that the document itself is of little relevance insofar as its actual text is concerned.The volume ends with the first critical edition of an open letter from King John explaining his position in the matter of William de Briouze. Yet in the 800 years since its initial issue, it has threaded its way through a myriad of other documents, most notably the Declaration of Independence in 1776. citation needed] Short of funds, Henry reissued the charter again in 1225 in exchange for a grant of new taxes.

The joining together of serious historical analysis with a passionate clarity about contemporary injustice is a welcome contribution to a world where historical scholarship is too often divorced, however impossibly, from politics. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.AUP Privacy and Security Policy | AUP User Terms of Agreement | Army University | Web Policy | Information Quality | Plain Writing | Privacy Program | No FEAR Act | FOIA | Open GOV | Strategic Plan | USA. This book is definitely a gem and i would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys or loves medieval history it is definitely worth a read.