One of the most important historical events of the Medieval era is the Magna Carta of 1215. The citizens of england forced King John of England (1166 - 1216) into signing a legal binding document which greatly reduced the power he held as the King of England and allowed for the establishment of a powerful parliament to formulate. Abuses by King John caused a revolt by nobles who compelled him to execute this recognition of rights for both noblemen and ordinary Englishmen. It established the principle that no one, including the king or a lawmaker, is above the law. England had for some years owned land in France. The serfs had provided the king with both money and men to defend this territory or provinces. Traditionally, the king had always consulted the serfs before raising taxes and demanding more men for military service on which they had to be provided under the fuedal system. So long as English kings were militarily successful abroad, relations with the serfs ran smooth. However, John was not very successful in his military campaigns abroad. Nevertheless constant demands for more money and men from the king of England angered the serfs. By 1204, John had lost his land in northern France. In response to this, John introduced high taxes without asking the serfs which was against feudal law and accepted custom. With that said the angry commoners stormed king John's castle and forced him to sign the Magna Carter under restraint. The Magna Carta is special because it was essentially the foundation of modern day English law, as well, the basis for civil rights. The motive for the Magna Carta was to preserve natural rights, the separation of church and state, as well as, the distribution of power throughout the land.
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