King John and the Magna Carta

The Magna Carta, Latin for "the Great Charter," is one of the most famous documents in the world, it states that no one, including the King, is above the law. However, King John, who had agreed to the Charter, had never intended to abide by it and never would. King John of England, also known as John Lackland (because he wasn't expected to inherit large amounts of land), reigned from April 6th 1199, after the death of his brother (Richard the Lionheart), until October 19th 1216.

During the first years of his reign, in 1204, John lost Normandy to the French. He then spent the rest of his reign trying to retake it, unsuccessfully. In order to fund his attempts to regain Normandy, John had to increase taxes on his barons, besides demanding more men from them. After failed attempts to regain his French territories, most of the barons refused to give John more money and men. This lead John to hire mercenaries to fight for him in 1214, which also ended in a defeat.

Besides being widely unpopular among his barons, John also had issues with Pope Innocent III, questioning the Pope's authority. As a result, the Pope excommunicated John in 1209, after John failed to accept the appointment of Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. The excommunication meant that not only the King, but also England was excommunicated. Nevertheless, under pressure from his barons, in 1213 John agreed with the Pope's terms for reconciliation, which included making England a fief of the Pope. Still, John managed to gain Innocent's support, which proved to be important in 1215.

As the relations between the King and his barons deteriorated, the barons revolted against John. After the barons had gained control over London, on June 15th 1215, they met with John at Runnymede to discuss the peace agreement, drafter by Langton. The agreement consisted of 63 clauses, that limited the King's power and, among other things, protected all free men from illegal imprisoned (it is important to remember that "free men" referred mainly to barons during that period). This agreement came to be known as the Magna Carta. 

However, the Charter wasn't enforced for long. In September 1215, it was annulled by the Pope, and all the barons were excommunicated. He claimed that the Charter was "not only shameful and demeaning but also illegal and unjust" and not legally biding since the King had been forced to sign it. The failure to reach an agreement led to the First Baron's War (1215 - 1217). Before the War was over John died of dysentery. His son and heir, Henry III, reissued the Magna Carta in 1225 (with some changes), becoming one of the most important documents in English history.