0:12 this may look like a plain unassuming
0:15 piece of parchment but it's actually one
0:17 of the most famous documents in the
0:21 world Magna Carta meaning the great
0:24 Charter has inspired people across the
0:26 centuries from Thomas Jefferson to
0:29 Mahatma Gandhi but why was the charter
0:32 origin created and what does it actually
0:35 say let us take you back to Medieval
0:39 England it's the year 1215 and the ruler
0:42 is King John many people believe that
0:45 King John was one of the worst kings in
0:48 history he imprisoned his former wife he
0:51 starved his opponents to death he
0:53 allegedly murdered his own nephew and
0:56 pulled the Beards of the Irish
0:59 Chiefs King John had imposed heavy taxes
1:02 on from his Barons in order to pay for
1:05 his expensive Foreign Wars if they
1:08 refused to pay he punished them severely
1:11 or seize their property the Barons
1:14 demanded that King John obey the law
1:17 when he refused they captured London and
1:19 John was forced to
1:23 negotiate the two sides met at runy in June
1:24 June
1:27 1215 the result of the negotiations was
1:30 written down by the king's Clerks into
1:33 the document we know as Magna
1:36 carter although most of the Charter's
1:38 Clauses dealt with medieval rights and
1:40 Customs Magna Carta has become a
1:44 powerful symbol of Liberty around the
1:46 world the most famous clause which is
1:49 still part of the law today for the
1:52 first time gave all free men the right
1:55 to Justice and a fair trial no man shall
1:58 be arrested or imprisoned except by the
2:01 Judgment of their equals and by the law
2:04 of the land to no one will we sell
2:06 however this Clause was not as liberal
2:09 as it sounds the charter only applied to
2:12 free men the vast majority of people in
2:15 1215 were unfree peasants who were ruled
2:17 over by their
2:20 landowners and although Magna carter was
2:22 intended to create peace between King
2:25 John and his rebellious Barons England
2:28 was plunged into Civil War after the
2:30 pope declared the charter
2:34 invalid when King John died of dentry in
2:38 1216 99-year-old Henry III took to the
2:41 throne to keep the peace Magna Carta was
2:44 reissued several times during the 13th
2:47 century until it was finally made part
2:48 of English
2:52 law Magna carter has lived on for 800
2:55 years and is echoed in the United States
2:58 Declaration of Independence and the
3:01 universal Declaration of human rights
3:04 perhaps Magna carta's most important
3:07 Legacy is that everyone including our
3:10 leaders must obey the law what started
3:13 out as a document of specific complaints
3:16 from a group of Barons has turned into
3:19 an international symbol of Liberty
3:21 without which we might not have the
