Magna Carta Libertatum (1215)

King John was forced by his barons to put his seal on a draft version of the Great Charter at Runnymede on 15 June 1215. Some days later, the final form was issued as a freely granted royal charter, which was reissued in 1216, 1217, and 1225 by John's son, Henry III. The provisions of Magna Carta guaranteed the liberties of the Church, the barons and the citizens of London, a fixed royal court at Westminster, and most of all individual liberties, e.g. reasonable royal charges in cases of inheritance or the maxim that an accused person was to be judged by his equals. All in all there were 63 clauses that set definite limits to royal prerogatives.

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