Magna Carta
noun /ˌmæɡnə ˈkɑːtə/
/ˌmæɡnə ˈkɑːrtə/
- a document officially stating the political and legal rights of the English people, that King John was forced to sign in 1215 (often referred to as the basis for modern English law)CultureMagna Carta limited the king's power and gave new rights to the barons and the people. Some of these rights are basic to modern British law, for example the right to have a trial before being sent to prison. Four of the original copies of the Magna Carta still exist, two in the British Library and one each in the cathedrals of Salisbury and Lincoln.