MAGNA CARTA Promised a lot but delivered little in England. Critically Essay

MAGNA CARTA Promised a lot but delivered little in England. Critically evaluate this claim - Essay Example For the Church, which was part of the English landowning system, the Magna Carta meant the King’s recognition of its duty between lord and man. To the barons, the document did not only mean limiting the powers of the monarch, but it also meant enjoying feudal privileges which, at that time, were only accorded to them free men. For King John, signing the Magna Carta was meant to be a momentary solution to suppress the revolt of the nobles. In short, the Great Charter simply aimed at solving a practical problem in society during that period. However, over time, the reinterpretation made by lawyers and politicians has elevated the document’s status as the legal foundation to the establishment of the rule of law in England. Since then, it had been widely cited not only for its historical background, but also for the purpose to protect national liberties. The Magna Carta was claimed to have founded the parliament and helped develop the written constitution. Although it is widely celebrated to be the first document to challenge the King’s power, it was also revered because of its supposed warranting of the rights of habeas corpus, trial by jury, and the formation of the concept of citizen’s rights. As a result, these entitlements to the charter have become the favorite mantra, a rallying cry among lawyers and politicians whenever they feel that the issues on rights and liberty are threatened and subdued. In reality however, the entire 63 sections in the Magna Carta contained very few statements about legal principles. In fact, majority of the document’s clauses dealt more with feudal rights and customs which are now irrelevant in today’s society and have long been repealed and considered obsolete. Instead, the provisions in the charter were mostly directed to the local issues of the early 13th century England which were about the struggles between the King’s unrestrained power