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Magna Carta : the medieval roots of modern politics  Cover Image Book Book

Magna Carta : the medieval roots of modern politics

Starkey, David (author.).

Summary: "At Runnymede, on the banks of the River Thames, on 15 June 1215, the seal of King John was attached to the Magna Carta, and peace descended upon the land. Or that's what successive generations have believed. But is it true? ... Often viewed as a victory for the people over the monarchy and a cornerstone of democracy, the true significance of Magna Carta is misunderstood and misrepresented. In Magna Carta: The True Story Behind the Charter, David Starkey paints a vivid portrait of the years 1215-1225, ten revolutionary years of huge significance that produced not one but three charters. Peopled by colourful historical figures - John, the boy-king Henry, Pope Innocent III, Archbishop Stephen Langton, William Marshal - Starkey tells a story of treachery and idealism, politics and peace-making and helps us understand the true significance of that day beside the Thames, eight hundred years ago"--Jacket.

Record details

  • ISBN: 1681446006
  • ISBN: 9781681446004
  • Physical Description: 285 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
    print
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Quercus Books, [2015]

Content descriptions

General Note:
Includes index.
Bibliography, etc. Note: "Notes on sources" pages 259-263.
Formatted Contents Note: Introduction -- The great king? : John and his opponents -- The crisis -- Rebels with a cause -- The road to Runnymede -- Runnymede -- For all and for ever -- Failure -- Roman echoes -- Civil war and war of words -- Desperation -- New king; new charter -- Victory and reconciliation -- Spontaneous and free consent -- After Magna Carta : a tale of two charters -- Appendix: The Charters.
Subject: Law England History
Constitutional history England
Magna Carta Magna Carta

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Kenton County.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Erlanger Branch 942.033 S795m 2015 (Text) 33126023179959 Adult Nonfiction Available -

  • Baker & Taylor
    Paints a vivid portrait of Great Britain from 1215-1225, the ten years after the Magna Carta was signed, paying specific attention to such historic figures as John, Pope Innocent III, Archbishop Stephen Langton, and William Marshal.
  • Grand Central Pub
    In this erudite, entertaining book, award-winning historian and television presenter David Starkey untangles historical and modern misconceptions about one of the founding documents of democracy. Along the way, he shows how the Magna Carta laid the foundation for the British constitution, influenced the American Revolution and the U.S. constitution, and continues to shape jurisprudential thinking about individual rights around the world today.

    In 1215, King John I of England faced a domestic crisis. He had just lost an expensive campaign to retake his ancestral lands in France, an unfortunate adventure that he had funded by heavily taxing the baronial lords of England. Sick of the unpopular king's heavy-handed rule, and unimpressed by the king's unsuccessful attempt to seize Normandy, the feudal barons united to make demands of their sovereign for certain protections. These demands, the "Articles of the Barons," were submitted to the king in rough draft after the rebels occupied three cities, most significantly London.

    A few years later, after being edited and amplified by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury, the Articles would come to be known as the Magna Carta. The self-interested barons couldn't have known it at the time, but those demands would one day become the bedrock of democratic political development around the globe--even though that influence was largely due to mythologizing by later scholars who warped the symbolism of the document to support their arguments in favor of the rights of all citizens.

    Although the Magna Carta itself made no requests on behalf of the peasantry, in its structure the outlines of modern democratic reform are plainly visible. Among other things, it demanded limits on the ability of the crown to levy taxes; protection of the rights of the church; the guarantee of swift justice; and a ban on unjust imprisonment. Those protections and guarantees were strictly intended for benefit of feudal barons, but the free citizens of today's democratic nations owe an enormous debt to this history-changing document.


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