Magna Carta

• Magna Carta represents a pivotal event and text in British history - established the concept of civil liberties
• From King John to the present - no other general account has successfully covered its changing influence through the ages
• Relevance to 21st century politics - calls for a new Magna Carta to guard civil liberties and protect against central government excesses
• Evaluates changing interpretations of the Charter's meaning and impact
• Book includes strong illustrations: engravings, tomb sculptures, contemporary prints

This new history is the first to tell the story of Magna Carta Athrough the agesA. No other general work traces its continuing importance in EnglandAs political consciousness. Many books have examined the circumstances surrounding King JohnAs grant of Magna Carta in 1215. Very few trace the CharterAs legacy to subsequent centuries and even fewer look at the fate of the physical document. Turner also underlines its great influence outside the United Kingdom, especially in North America. Today, the Charter enjoys greater prestige in the United States, the land of lawyers, than in Britain. U.S. citizens claim Magna Carta as a source of their liberties, guaranteeing Adue process of lawA and condemning Aexecutive privilegeA.

Ralph Turner is a Professor at Florida State University. He is the author of King John (1994) and Richard the Lionheart (2000) and is an expert on both British and French History and the medieval period, having written widely on both rulers and the state.