- All Timelines
- Britain - Changing Lives
- c.1066 |Medieval Manor
- c.1180 |Medieval Minds
- c.1250 |Medieval Towns
- c.1320 |Monastic Life
- c.1348 |The Black Death
- c.1420 |Yeoman England
- c.1520 |The Reformation
- c.1588 |Shakespeare's World
- c.1612 |Pendle Witches
- c.1775 |Iron and Industry
- c.1785 |Factories and Machines
- c.1810 |Urban Slums
- c.1834 |Tolpuddle Martyrs
- c.1853 |The Vision of Titus Salt
- c.1875 |Cities Transformed
- c.1910 |A Golden Age?
- c.1984 |Death of Industry
- Britain - Rulers & Ruled
- c.1066 |Norman Conquest
- c.1170 |Church & Crown
- c.1215 |Magna Carta
- c.1280 |First Parliaments
- c.1381 |Peasants Revolt
- c.1470 |The Pastons
- c.1528 |Henry VIII & Church
- c.1649 |Civil War
- c.1658 |The Wheel of History
- c.1688 |"Glorious" Revolution
- c.1789 |Rights of Man
- c.1819 |Peterloo Massacre
- c.1842 |The Chartists
- c.1867 |Dawn of Democracy
- c.1893 |Rise of Labour
- c.1903 |Votes for Women
- c.1919 |Century of Change
- Britain - Nations & Empire
- Smallpox Through Time
- c.1045BC |Face of a Pharaoh
- c.1562 |Arsenic and Old Lace
- c.1617 |Smallpox in America
- c.1711 |Child Pox
- c.1721 |Experiment in Newgate
- c.1758 |The Speckled Monster
- c.1796 |Jenner's Breakthrough
- c.1800 |The Vaccine Triumphant
- c.1806 |Ox-faced Boys
- c.1853 |Public Health & Protest
- c.1896 |Epidemic on Camera
- c.1967 |Global Action
- c.2010 |Smallpox Today
- The American West
- Britain - Changing Lives
- This Module
- In medieval England, power was shared between King and barons; kings used the power of patronage to keep the barons in check. The module explains how King John's abuse of the power of patronage was his undoing. It tells the story of the barons' war, and of the Great Charter (Magna Carta) that John was forced to sign. Magna Carta did little to defend the liberties of ordinary people, but it did put limits on the power of Kings.
- Credits
History of Britain - Rulers & Ruled
- 3.Magna Carta
-
1215
How did medieval kings share power with their barons? The story of King John reveals the answer. (6.25 mins)
Chapter Breakdown
- 1. The real power-struggle in Norman England: not Norman vs Saxon, but the King vs his barons.
- 2. Barons had tussled for advantage from the earliest days of the Conquest. The story of Roger FitzOsbern.
- 3. How kings kept control through the power of patronage.
- 4. How King John misused the power of patronage.
- 5. The barons rise in rebellion. And the result: Magna Carta - restraining Kings through the rule of law.
Picture Viewer
Location details
We filmed this resource all over England, starting at Runnymede in Surrey where there's an impressive memorial to Magna Carta built by the American Bar Association.
From there, the module moves to William FitzOsbern's keep at Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight.
The re-enactment sequences were shot at English Heritage event day at Scarborough Castle in North Yorkshire.
And the effigy of King John is found in Worcester Cathedral, an underrated cathedral with an impressive Norman crypt and chapter house.
DVD
DVD Coming Soon!
We hope to release a new DVD pack containing all the video modules for the British timelines including 'Changing Lives', 'Rulers & Ruled', and 'Empire & Nations'.
