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animation:
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Carta?’
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 First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth

7%
9%

11% 45%
During the negotiations
at Runnymede, did John
sign or seal Magna
13%the
Carta? What did
Charter actually say?

15%
To whom in medieval
society did Magna
Carta apply?
How did King
John die?
The Pope annulled
Magna Carta just
ten weeks after it
was agreed! What
happened next?
60

50

40

30

20
According to Magna Carta,
who was now obliged to
10 abide by the law?

Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4

 Over 800 years, Magna Carta
has become a powerful symbol
of our rights and freedoms.
Click here to watch our
animation ‘800 Years of Magna
Carta’ to find out more…
Why was Magna Carta
important to English
lawyers?
What did Shakespeare
famously leave out of
his play, King John?
In what way did King
Charles I annoy his
subjects?
Where did British settlers
take Magna Carta in the
17th century?
 Which iconic American
documents were influenced
by Magna Carta?
John Wilkes’s campaign
helped Magna Carta “go
viral”. What was he
fighting for?
 Why did Nelson Mandela
mention Magna Carta in
his famous speech from the
dock?
Slide 2: Why is King John considered to have been one of the worst kings in history?
He imprisoned his former wife; he starved his opponents to death; he allegedly murdered his own nephew, and pulled the beards
of the Irish Chiefs.

Slide 4: Why did King John impose heavy taxes and seize the barons’ property?
King John had imposed heavy taxes on his barons in order to pay for his expensive foreign wars. If they refused to pay, he
punished them severely or seized their property.

Slide 5: During the negotiations at Runnymede, did John sign or seal Magna Carta? What did the Charter actually say?
Magna Carta was sealed and not signed. Although most of the charter’s clauses dealt with medieval rights and customs, Magna
Carta has become a powerful symbol of liberty around the world. Perhaps the most famous clause, which is still part of law today,
for the first time gave all ‘free men’ the right to justice and a fair trial.

Slide 6: To whom in medieval society did Magna Carta apply?

The Charter only applied to ‘free men’, the vast majority of people in 1215 were unfree peasants who were ruled over by their
landowners.

Slide 7: How did King John die?

King John died of dysentery in 1216.

Slide 8: The Pope annulled Magna Carta just ten weeks after it was agreed! What happened next?
England was plunged into civil war.
Slide 9: According to Magna Carta, who was now obliged to abide by the law?
Everyone - including kings and queens.

Slide 11: Why was Magna Carta important to English lawyers?

In the 1500s, when Magna Carta was printed for the first time, it became the first law that all English lawyers studied.

Slide 12: What did Shakespeare famously leave out of his play, King John?
Shakespeare’s King John does not mention Magna Carta.

Slide 13: In what way did King Charles I annoy his subjects?
At this time, the king could ignore parliament and imprison anyone who opposed him. Inspired by Magna Carta, Sir Edward Coke
wrote the Petition of Right, which set out to limit the king’s powers.

Slide 14: Where did British settlers take Magna Carta in the 17 th century?
America.

Slide 15: Which iconic American documents were influenced by Magna Carta?
Magna Carta became a symbol of American liberty, and its principles were echoed in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill
of Rights.

Slide 16: John Wilkes’s campaign helped Magna Carta “go viral”. What was he fighting for?
Wilkes was fighting against the censorship of the press. At this time, people could be imprisoned without trial for criticising the
king. When Wilkes was arrested for insulting King George III, he used Magna Carta to fight for his freedom, claiming that ancient
English liberties were under threat.

Slide 17: Why did Nelson Mandela mention Magna Carta in his famous speech from the dock?
Accused of being a terrorist by the South African government, Mandela was put on trial for his life in 1964. In his famous speech
from the dock, Nelson Mandela declared his admiration for Magna Carta and for Western democracy, which he contrasted with
the oppressive South African regime.