The Magna Carta is a document of profound importance – both in the UK and beyond. Thought to be the basis of the British Constitution, The Great Charter – as it was known then – has become a powerful global symbol of political rights and freedoms.
The Magna Carta was a device by which King John could attempt to appease the barons who were rebelling against his rule.
To be able to fund an exhaustive war with France, King John had set very high taxes and took the barons’ land in lieu of unpaid debts. This made him very unpopular.
King John also made enemies within the Church when he clashed with the Pope over various ecclesiastical issues, which culminated in him seizing church property and the Pope kicking him out of the Church.
Although they settled their differences in 1213 the Barons remained angry at the way they were being treated and how poorly the King was operating as head of state.
The Barons began to complain and change was demanded. In January 1215, the King met with the barons to hear their demands and consider his response. He asked to meet again in Northampton around Easter so that he could deliver his response. However, news quickly spread that the King was not seeking to address their concerns, but was in fact arranging an Army to see their threat off. Not only that but the King had sought and got protection from the Pope.
Furious at this betrayal the Barons’ armed themselves and marched to meet the King in Northampton. He wasn’t there. They continued their journey until they reached Brackley where, it is thought, they drew up their list of demands – notably for the King to respect the rights of his subjects and for him to respect the rule of law.
The King, who was in Oxford at the time, was furious at the apparent ultimatum – agree to our demands or face civil war. The King was less than hospitable to these demands, whereupon the Barons made good on their threat and on 5 May 1215, the barons declared civil war.
The first target attacked in the civil war was Northampton Castle. Whilst their attack wasn’t successful, they fanned out and headed south. One month later London was captured by the Barons, forcing King John to negotiate.
There in Runnymede, near Windsor, the King agreed to most of the demands in the Charter. Brackley was the location agreed upon to have the Magna Carta sealed and approved, however, fearing a hostile reception in a part of the country that had conspired against him, the King agreed only to meet in Runnymede. This decision, long overlooked by history, robbed Brackley of a moment of international acclaim!
The King’s agreement to these demands finally ended the war. Copies of the Magna Carta were made for distribution throughout the land, but today only four of these survive.
However, that wasn’t the end of matters. Almost immediately after this was agreed, King John had the Pope annul the document. The Barons’ returned to a war footing and even went so far as to invite the French royalty to invade and take the throne. However, King John died suddenly in October of 1216 and with the coronation of King Henry III, a peace was established as he issued a new Magna Carta and set about winning the favour of the disgruntled Barons.
So Brackley played a crucial part in the creation of the British Constitution and formed the basis for many a country’s system of governance.
