On June 15th, 800 years ago, England’s King John signed a document that came to reshape the course of history and democracy as we know it. The Magna Carta, Latin for ‘great charter’, was a legally-binding agreement that limited the royal powers while simultaneously setting forth the rights of the people, shaping how common law would be interpreted from the Middle Ages through to today.
But how is that an old piece of parchment came to be recognised as one of the most significant documents every written? Narrated by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, the British Library has created this short animation to explain why the Magna Carta matters so much.
Check out the video below:
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