The Magna Carta
One of the most important documents of the Medieval Era is the “Great Charter” or Magna Carta of 1215. Signed at Runnymede, England, this document was the first to establish the common law and this was the first time a king no longer had absolute and total power. King John was known for the signing of the Magna Carta, though against his will. He was one of the more questionable and somewhat tyrannical monarchs of England and his actions are what sparked the creation of this charter. There were many events caused and acted upon by King John that made people want to limit the power a king could have, especially King John.
When Archbishop of Canterbury had died in 1205, the monks secretly chose a candidate as his successor. But when King John found out about them doing this in secret, he refused the election of the chosen person. He then appointed his own choice person to take the stand. The pope at the time, Pope Innocent III, refused to accept John’s candidate and instead arranged for Stephen Langton to be elected in 1207. King John was furious at their attempt to underestimate his power over the English church and as a result he expelled the monks of Canterbury who had helped Pope Innocent III in making the choice, and he refused to appoint Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. There was constant conflict between John and the English church. Pope Innocent III responded to John’s final actions by excommunicating him. When John found this out, he in return started taxing the church, confiscated some of its land, and even forced many of the priests to leave their parishes. After years of conflict, he finally agreed to have Stephen Langton appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury and he also compensated the Chur...
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One monarch who faced limited royal power due to his relationship with parliament was Henry IV. This uneasy relationship was mainly down to the fact that Henry was a usurper, and was exacerbated by his long periods of serious illness later in his reign. Parliament was thus able to exercise a large amount of control over royal power, which is evident in the Long Parliament of 1406, in which debates lasted from March until December. The length of these debates shows us that Henry IV’s unstable relationship had allowed parliament to severely limit his royal power, as he was unable to receive his requested taxation. A king with an amiable relationship with parliament, such as Henry V, and later Edward IV, would be much more secure in their power, as taxation was mostly granted, however their power was also supported more by other factors, such as popularity and finances. Like Henry IV, Henry VI also faced severely limited power due to his relationship with parliament.
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In Conclusion this Document was written to bring Independence to the United States of America. This document clearly stated the claim and supported it overwhelming good. They continued to give reasoning on why the country was at risk and why they are fighting for their freedom. Every claim made within the document is supported thoroughly by facts from credible educated sources. This document brings to life the citizens of the thirteen states at that time because it was arguing for their freedom. Still to this day we look back at the Declaration of Independence and see it as a back bone to our country’s freedom. Therefore, this is why we celebrate our freedom every 4th of July due to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Two Hundred and thirty-seven years ago one of the most masterful documents in history was created, which is The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence expressed Thomas Jefferson’s along with the fifty-five American colonists’ vision of revolution towards independence, and a new government pronouncing rupture from Great Britain. In the document, Thomas Jefferson, the author, established that if their government fails to protect their inalienable rights to life, pursuit of happiness and liberty the people have the right to eradicate it. The Declaration of Independence was ratified declaring the United States free and independent on July 4th, 1776. This document was evidently very influentially serious and meaningful as all those men promised to, “Mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Thus, the Declaration of Independence was a successful document due to Jefferson appealing most effectively through diction, syntax, literary devices and most importantly rhetoric to justify the renouncement from the British Crown.
In the making of the United States, there were many events that are important. This paper intends to highlight a few of those events including; Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. Many events in America’s history helped to establish the United States as a free and independent country. The Declaration of Independence in particular explains the rights and freedoms that Americans. Each document is like a stepping stones that leads to the next and building upon the pervious document.
This next one is not really meant for literature, it was actually written for a peace treaty between King John of England and a group of rebel barons. It was originally known as the Magna Carta Libertatum. According to this charter, it guarantees protection of the church rights, as well as the protection for the said barons from illegal imprisonment. King John was actually considered to be a terrible king, hence why the barons are against him. One of the reasons is that the King raised his taxes without asking the nobles and it is actually against the law of England.
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On June 15th, 1215, in a field at Runnymede, King John and the Barons signed The Magna Carta. This was a royal charter drawn up by the barons to insure King John would treat them fairly and equally. This document consisted of political rights and a series of written promises. When the Barons made this document it was there attempt to stop the King from possessing too much power and abusing it.
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