Magna Carta

The Magna Carta is a document that was signed in 1215 that says the kings could not ignore certain rights. Magna Carta is a Latin word meaning "Great Charter". The effects of Magna Carta are, the king has to follow certain rights, those rights include Habeas corps, a Latin phrase meaning " you have the body.". The right of Habeas corps meant that people can not be kept in jail without a reason. This means that they had to be charged with a crime and be convicted at trial and in front of a jury before they could be sent to jail. Before the law the kings would put people in jail for no reason at all. more importantly, Magna Carta required that everyone -including the king- had to obey law. The idea that everyone must follow the law became one of the basic principles of English government.

---