The Magna Carta’s Influence Throughout the World

Many documents have been made in history; some being more famous than others, such as The Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. One of the most famous documents in history, has been called the “Origin of Liberty” and, to an extent “The Bible of Liberty”. It is the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta changed history forever, limiting the powers of English royalty and being an influence for liberty, freedom, and equality ever since. It had a different meaning when it was sealed in 1215, though. At first, the Magna Carta was just to keep King John of England, ruler of the time, in check from destroying England’s economy. The roots of the Magna Carta started to come about over 800 years ago in 1199.

King John was crowned King of England in May, 1199 at the age of 33. Early on in his reign, he was successful in capturing northern French territories in 1202 and 1203. In 1204, however, due to lack of food to support his army, King Phillip of France took back the rich northern French territories from King John. Over the next decade, King John tried to take back the French territories he once had, especially Normandy, for their rich resources. He had to raise taxes for mercenary armies to provide more troops for his war against France. The higher taxes angered many people, especially those who couldn’t afford the already high taxes which were in place from the previous rulers.

The high taxes weren’t all that angered the people of England, though. During his reign, John also quarreled with the Catholic Church many times. King John wanted the bishop of England to be someone who would be on his side so that he could be in control of the Catholic Church. He wanted to be in control of the Catholic Church because the Catholic Church w...

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... book helped me with finding out the influence of the Domesday Book was to the Magna Carta and the date when Pope Innocent III declared the Magna Carta of 1215 dull and void.

Turner, Ralph V. "The Meaning of Magna Carta since 1215: Ralph V. Turner Considers How and Why Magna Carta Became a Beacon of Liberty in Britain And, Increasingly, in the United States." History Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Annotation: The Magna Carta has given liberty to the Barons, and later the people, of England from the fierce and unfair ruling. One of the most major problems was high taxation. The Magna Carta has become one of the most important items in England and has increased in influence severely in the United States, being an influence for the United State's most important documents. It helped me find out what the cause and alterations of the Magna Carta were after 1215.