Download King John and the Magna Carta

King John and the Magna
Carta
Could the rich control the king?
Around the picture below, you can read some of
the qualities which medieval people expected
their king to have! Which three are the most
important for a medieval king?
Rich – but not
greedy!
Fit and strong
A good judge of
character
A good soldier
God fearing
Inspiring!
Hardworking
Firm – but fair!
Brave
Wise
Your enquiry!
Medieval kings could get into serious
trouble if they did not have the
qualities of a KING! In the
thirteenth century some barons
forced an unpopular king to give
up some power …and it was only
the beginning!! In this enquiry,
you will find out how the richest
people in the country began to
challenge the king
King John manages to upset
everyone!!
The first king to give up some of his power was
John. He is famous as Prince John in make
believe stories of Robin Hood. In the stories he is
a wicked and foolish prince who taxes the people
of England unfairly. Some historians say John
was just as foolish in real life. Others say he was
simply unlucky!
John ruled England from 1199 to 1216. He faced the
following problems.
Problem Number 1
He quarrelled with the Pope about how to run
the Church & who should be archbishop of
Canterbury. From 1208 until 1213, the
Pope banned all church services in England
and English people feared that they would
all go to HELL! Some Church leaders
blamed John for the trouble.
Problem Number 2
John went to war twice against the French
king. His army was badly beaten both
times. He lost almost all the land that his
father had gained in France!
Problem Number 3
John raised taxes in England to pay for the
wars. This upset his BARONS! He ordered
them to pay far more tax than earlier kings
had done!
THINK!
For how many years did the ban on church
services last?
Which of the three problems do you think
upset the barons the most?

How did the barons strike back?
In 1214 many barons rebelled against John.
They believed that he could not rule the
country properly and was treating them
unfairly. If someone did not do something
the whole country could be ruined!
 In 1215 the barons forced John to grant a
charter, which was the first time anyone had
expected an English king to obey a set of
rules.

The Magna Carta
I, King John, accept that I have to
govern according to the law.
So I agree:
1. Not to imprison nobles without trial
2. That trials must be in courts; not held in
secret by me
3. To have fair taxation for the nobles
4. To let freemen travel wherever they like
5. Not to interfere in Church matters
6. Not to seize crops without paying for them
…. and lot more things too!!
The Magna Carta??
The Charter later became known
by the Latin name Magna
Carta which means “great
charter”.
Think!
Use the examples from Magna Carta to
work out the different ways in which John
has been upsetting people.
 What was so new about Magna Carta for
English kings?
 At the time, Magna Carta was not designed
to help everybody. What kind of people
were not helped by the charter?
