The practical effects of the Magna Carta
would only come later, in the reign of John’s
son Henry III. In 1216, precariously facing
opposition from both the rebel barons and
Philip Augustus’ son Prince Louis, Henry
III’s government, in an attempt to win over
the barons, issued another version of the
Magna Carta, which, although it maintained
the general message of the previous
incarnation, had removed the radical clause
setting up the council of barons. It was
reissued again in 1217, with some additional
clauses to protect the barons’ rights, and to
reduce somewhat the King’s ability to levy
taxes. The Magna Carta was reissued once
The 1225 Magna Carta
more in 1225, in return for baronial consent
to taxation for the fight against Louis, now
King Louis VIII, which, by including explicit statements that it was of the King’s
own free will, also eliminated the objection that since the King had been forced
to consent to the document; he need not abide by it. It was not until 1297 under
Edward I that the version remaining in statute today was issued, essentially a
reissuing of the 1225 charter, in return for a new tax.
As is apparent, the 1215 Magna Carta, which is glorified by so many, whilst
potent in the ideas it espoused, was a failure in practice, and it was not until the
reigns of Henry III and Edward I that it would have any lasting influence. Nor
was the charter an outstanding triumph of the values of liberty and democracy,
but rather was a watered-down version, issued only because the English King
wished to raise taxation, or placate the barons. Nonetheless, the Magna Carta
13
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker