The Magna Carla was a Charter of
Rights granted to the Englishmen during 1215 AD by King John
II. During the reign of King John II (1167-1216) the
citizens of Britain were burdened with heavy taxes. As a
treacherous and cruel king he curbed the privileges of
nobles and clergymen. As a result the barons, clergy and the
common people united and compelled King John to redress
their grievances by signing the Great Charter known as the
Magna Carta. It was signed by King John II in June 1215 at
Runnymede.
The charter contained 63 clauses
guaranteeing the freedom of the
barons, the church and the common
man. Under this charter the king
himself was to act according to the
law which curbed the king's right to
levy taxes arbitrarily. It ensured
that the king would act with the
sanction of the people's representatives in the matters of
administration be it the imposition of
new taxes or punishing a wrong doer
or imprisonment of any man. In
other words, through this document
the Law was made the highest
authority in the land. The Magna
Carta laid down the important principle that England should be
governed by a definite law and not
by the whims or will of a despotic
ruler.
Feudalism
Feudalism was apolitical and
economic system of medieval
Europe based on the relation of lord
to vassal in which land was held on
the condition of homage and service.
A lord would promise to protect a
smaller landowner from his
enemies. In return, the small landowner or peasant surrendered his
land and became a vassal. In 888 AD
big empires were divided into small
kingdoms of landowning nobles who protected peasants against
tribal attacks. Peasants surrendered their
lands to the nobles for protection of
their lives. They were allowed to
work and live on it but the land
became feudal property. Feudal
lords became rich and powerful and
kings had to depend on them for
men and money.
Renaissance
Renaissance means revival or
rebirth. During the time of the
Roman empire all the manuscripts containing the wisdom of
the ancient Greeks were kept in Constantinople and studied
by the scholars of the city. However, in 1451 AD a new
Sultan, Mahomet II ascended the Turkish throne and swore to
capture Constantinople (now Istanbul). In 1453 he attacked
and occupied the city. The scholars fled taking with them
the manuscripts
and documents and settled in the cities of Italy to spread
their learning throughout western Europe. In 1454, Gutenberg
set up a printing press and these manuscripts and documents
were reprinted, and thus astronomy, geography and other
sciences were rediscovered by
western Europe. A Greek copy of the New Testament (Part of
the Bible) was also found, which revolutionized the process
of religious reform in Europe. The Renaissance has been
called the revival of learning that swept across
Europe. The movement slowly spread to England in the 15th
and 16th centuries.
Habeas Corpus Act, 1679
The Habeas Corpus Act was
drawn up during the reign of King Charles II which stated
that no one was to be imprisoned without a writ or warrant
stating the charges against him. It also provided facilities
to a prisoner to obtain either speedy trial or release on
bail. The Act safeguarded the personal liberties of the
people against arbitrary imprisonment by the king's orders.
Glorious Revolution
King James II of England, became
very unpopular due to his strong Catholic beliefs. As a
result he was forced to flee to France. The government
invited William of Orange (1650-1702) the Dutch leader and
his wife Mary, daughter of King James II, and declared them
joint sovereigns on 13 February, 1689. The overthrowing of
James II was without any bloodshed and is thus known as the
Glorious Revolution.
