Limit the king

It would be easy to get the impression that freedom from oppression is the natural state of nations and governments. Easy to miss the fact that there was a serious fight for freedom from tyranny, and by no means did the fight always go to the people. But in England, 800 years ago, it did.

photo: lincolncathedral.com

England's king relinquished some of his power to some of the people, not easily, but under pressure.

"It was at Runnymede, on June 15, 1215, that the idea of the law standing above the government first took contractual form. King John accepted that he would no longer get to make the rules up as he went along. From that acceptance flowed, ultimately, all the rights and freedoms that we now take for granted: uncensored newspapers, security of property, equality before the law, habeas corpus, regular elections, sanctity of contract, jury trials."

Learn how it came about here from Daniel Hannan, Member of the European Parliament from Britain.

For a fictionalized account of what it took to limit the king, watch the Russell Crowe movie of "Robin Hood".