In 1216 King John the first of England died leaving his son to become King Henry III
Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine had five children but the first, William, died as an infant. Their second son Henry, known as Henry the young king, was crowned king on the 14th of June 1170, while his father was still King of England. This was a French tradition that Henry allowed to take place but this was not enough for the young King. Soon after he and two of his brothers, Richard and Geoffery left for France and in 1173, with the help of the French King Philip II, they led a rebellion against their father Henry II. The only one of Henry II’s sons not to take part in the rebellion was John and Henry favoured John to succeed him for the crown. But when Henry the young King died on the 11th of June 1183 (aged 28), Richard was next in line for the throne.
Richard the Lionheart a Philip II of France agreed to fight Saladin for Jerusalem in the Third Crusade (1189-1192). The belief in the divine right of Christians was very strong in Europe at the time and this led to hatred towards bother religions including massacres of Jews and continuous fighting of Muslims for the holy land. Within a month of arriving home in 1192 Richard left for France to battle with Philip II. During the Siege of Chalus castle Richard was mortally wounded and died on the 6th of April 1199 and his Brother John became King John I of England.
By 1202 England was once again at war with France and despite early victories King John lost most of his lands in France. He spent many years raising taxes to raise the armies he required to regain the lands but was unsuccessful. With the cost of his wars rising and having nothing to show for it his noblemen began to rebel against him. The noblemen requested that King John confirm the Charter of Liberties but King John ignored their requests.
On the 10th of June 1215 the Barons and their men entered the city of London and on the 15th of June they forced King John to place his royal seal on a new charter legally binding the King to the Laws of England and assured rights for the free people of England. It is considered the first document placing rights of Liberty to free men that even a King must obey. The document known as the ‘Magna Charta’, which is Latin for great charter, is the cornerstone of English law and liberty.
