King John was a very unpopular monarch who came to the throne of England in 1199. The lords of England hated John, because he taxed everyone heavily, and was generally a weak and nasty ruler. By 1215, the English lords had enough of his misrule, and they got together an army and marched to London. John was forced to sign the paper they put in front of him, which is known as The Magna Carta. Did you know that Magna Carta means ‘Great Letter’ in Latin? The Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in history. It guaranteed the people certain rights, and bound the king to certain laws. To begin with, the king had to obey the law, like other people. Moreover, if the king broke the law, the lords had the right to remove that king. In particular, the king could not collect new taxes. After writing the document, these nobles forced King John to sign it, on the threat of civil war. Their intention was only to protect the rights of nobles. Nevertheless, in time, the rights established by the Magna Carta were also extended to commoners. The Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede, Surrey, and South England in 1215.
