15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
==Decline of King John and 1215 civil war==
Due to his harsh and unpredictable rule, John gradually lost support of his two most powerful backing groups of people in England – the barons and the Catholic bishops. Their calls for a political reforms were rejected many times by the king and as tensions grew thus led to a civil war in the spring of 1215. King John did not take seriously barons’ actions until the rebels reached and entered the city of London. Then it was time for negotiations which ended with signing of a document,<ref>Initially this document was called “Articles of the Barons”</ref>, containing a list of demands by the rebels.<ref>Magna Carta: A turning point in English history or When the king became a sitting duck: http://www.historyextra.com/feature/magna-carta-turning-point-english-history</ref> An official version of this very document was released soon afterwords with the name “Magna Carta”. In return for King John’s signature and the reached agreement, the barons themselves acknowledged the authority of the king, renewed their pledge of allegiance to him and ended their hostilities, opposition and resistance to his rule.
==The essence of original Magna Carta==