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By 1213 opposition to King John came to a head, led by Stephen Langton
Archbishop of Canterbury. On August 4th 1213, a Great Council was summoned to
meet at St Albans. The Council included Barons and churchmen and such meetings
later developed into Parliament. Speakinq for the King was the Justiciar of
England.
The Justiciar told the Council that the King had agreed to pay compensation, and
this was followed by a discussion on the general rights and liberties of his
subjects. A charter along these lines had been drawn up by Henry I a
Century before, and this was revised at St Albans.
It formed the first draft of
Magna Carta. Later, the churchmen accepted it, at a meeting in St Paul's London,
and the Barons did the same at a meeting' in Bury St Edmund, Suffolk. The
meeting in St Albans was therefore an important step in the production of Magna
Carta, which was presented to John in June 1215 after a rebellion by the Barons.
John only signed when he at last realised that he had been defeated. This famous
event took place at Runnymede by the Thames.
Bad Boy
Wendover
Alban St
Albans Bells
Magna Carta Great Council Prayer
Godiva Mathew
Paris Stephen Langton |
