Magna Carta
The 1215 charter in which King John conceded that the crown is bound by law
Overview
Sealed by King John at Runnymede in June 1215 after his barons forced the issue, Magna Carta bound the king to sixty three concessions, including that no free man be imprisoned except by lawful judgment of his equals or the law of the land. Pope Innocent III annulled it within weeks, but it was reissued in 1216, 1217, and 1225 and confirmed in statute. Three clauses remain law in England, including the judgment of one's peers. It is the root symbol of constitutionalism and rule of law worldwide.
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