Magna Carta

I was able to catch a few answers from King John. Here's what was discussed...

Q: How well did you do as king?

A: It really depends who you ask but most people are not in my favor. Oh well. They are just a bunch of babies and need to learn to man up a little.

Q: Why would people think this?

A: I made a few mistakes, so what? I'm human. I lost some territory to the Franks and got into a little of a scuff with the pope, not my best decisions. I am not very popular among the nobles either. But whatever, what are you gonna do? I tried to knock some sense into them but they weren't too fond of that.

Q: Would you mind telling me what happened?

A: I guess so. The pope and I had a minor disagreement about who had the power to name the bishop. Hoo Ha, what a big deal. The noble got a little angry when I taxed 'em up a little too much. Refusing too pay, I threw them in the slammer. Is that such a bad thing?

Q: Uhh, It's not really my business I guess. So what did the nobles do?

A: Those little buggers had the nerve to rebel. Uggh. They forced me to sign, apparently one of the most important documents in history, The Magna Carta.

Q: What's The Magan Carta?

A: It's a document that does two major things...
     - States the rights of nobles and landowners
     - Tells King that he must obey laws

Q: What effects will this have on the future?

A: Are you kidding, it's going to change the world! It establishes a basis of Due Process of Law and a basis of Parliament. Both of these things will be used far into the future and will definitely help out the government of that time period.

Q: What are those things?

A: The Due Process of Law is the rules the government must follow to get you in trouble, for a fair trial. It also states that the king can't raise taxes without consultation. Parliament is the legislative branch, two houses that controls the distribution of money.