MAGNA CARTA

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MAGNA CARTA Find out more about this subject by using our research page If you look hard at the English statute book you will find the following lines: “No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land”. These words have been there for 794 years because they are clause 39 of Magna Carta. Issued by King John in 1215, Magna Carta is seen as the foundation of English law and liberty. It includes clauses on universal justice but also on the fishing rights in the upper Thames, and whether Magna Carta is a true proclamation of law or a hotchpotch of baronial ambition has been debated ever since. One thing is certain, it was written in French before it was written in English. Contributors Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London Michael Clanchy, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the Institute of Historical Research