Magna Carta

Magna Carta or Magna Charta [Lat., = great charter], the most famous document of British constitutional history, issued by King John at Runnymede under compulsion from the barons and the church in June, 1215.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Reasons for Its Granting
• Revisions and Reinterpretations
• Bibliography
• The Original Charter

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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