In a bid to quell a brewing rebellion, King John of England reluctantly sealed the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215, at Runnymede, a meadow near the River Thames. The document, drafted by Archbishop Stephen Langton to appease disgruntled barons, outlined limitations on the king’s power and established legal protections for both nobles and free men. Though the agreement faced initial challenges, the Magna Carta’s principles of due process and a ruler subject to the law would resonate for centuries, influencing the development of individual rights and constitutional government.
229 Less than a minute