It’s controversial. It’s revolutionary. It’s trail blazing. Unfortunately, it’s also rather dull. At least on the surface. Which is probably why the Magna Carta doesn’t exactly spring to mind when you think of England. Not even for the English. A survey done to put together England’s ‘Ultimate Hall Of Fame’ last year collated responses from approximately 1000 people, who awarded the Magna Carta a bronze. As for the gold? Well, that went to the sandwich. Yes. Two slices of buttered bread filled with jam overtook the document that inspired democracy. It’s ironic. But also unsurprising.
Which is why I’m at the graciously old-fashioned Goring Hotel in London (reportedly a favourite of Kate Middleton), drinking champagne beside David Starkey. It’s the 800th anniversary of the great charter, and UK’s tourism industry is determined to not just celebrate the date, but also use the occasion to explain why Magna Carta is so important. Famously outspoken historian Starkey has just released a book on the subject — Magna Carta: The True Story Behind The Charter — and if anyone can spice up British history, it’s him.
As we settle down to a ponderously elegant meal that begins with lobster bisque, followed by poshed-up Beef Wellington and a dainty deconstructed Eton mess, Starkey cautions us not to expect too much of Runnymede, the place where the document was sealed by King John, and next stop on our itinerary. “The really special thing about what you see in England is that it’s real,” he says. “And Runnymede is basically a muddy field.”
To be honest, in this age of Disneyfication, it’s refreshing to not have to enter through a turnstile, and exit through a gift shop. Appropriately outfitted in boots, scarves and coats, we meet at Runnymede the next morning. The sun shines weakly, and the ground is — as promised — cold, wet and squishy. Undeterred, we walk forward briskly, while a guide recreates the scene. “You have to remember 1215 was not like 2015. There was no parliament. This was a Roman Catholic country, so the pope and Archbishop of Canterbury wielded great power. Then came the barons,” she says, pausing to add, with emphasis, “King John was in power — and he’s been called the worst king in our history. He murdered his nephew. Lost wars. Lost land... He kept taxing the barons. He was a bad politician.” Which explains why he’s one of history’s most vilified kings. (Even Disney mocked him in their 1973 cult animated classic Robin Hood , depicting him as a cowardly thumb-sucking little lion.)
Fed up with the King, the barons united and declared war on him in early May, 1215. They captured London, forcing the king to negotiate with them. Since the king was at Windsor, and the barons at Staines, Runnymede was chosen as a neutral place to meet. As it was close to the river, it was naturally wet and swampy, making it a difficult place for the armies to fight. Finally, on June 15, in Runnymede, the king agreed to the charter, and the barons reaffirmed their allegiance.
With 63 wildly different clauses, the charter is drearily ponderous. It does, however, have a clause, buried deep down at number 39, which was revolutionary then, and continues to be important today: It states that “No free man shall be imprisoned, or stripped of his rights… except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.” By guaranteeing citizens rights, and decreeing that the king too has to follow the law, this became history’s most important document.
A volunteer from The National Trust joins our walk, excitedly discussing the upcoming party at Runnymede to mark the anniversary. “The Queen is coming,” he stage-whispers, adding that they are also planning a river pageant featuring hundreds of boats, including the royal barge Gloriana , sailing down the Thames.”
As we chat, he leads us up the John F. Kennedy Memorial, created in 1963 by a garden architect. Designed as a pilgrimage, the site is steeped in symbolism, featuring a hawthorn tree and a seven-tonne block of Portland stone, inscribed with words taken from President Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address. The walk is followed by an afternoon at Windsor Palace, barely 10 minutes away by car, though it probably took King John longer on horseback. For anyone missing the bells, whistles and T-shirts of conventional tourism, this will probably be more fun than the stark, but admittedly understated, drama of Runnymede. From a respectable distance, we watch the Queen’s entourage arrive in pilot cars as we listen to the rest of the story.
After all the drama, Magna Carta lasted all of 10 weeks. The king reneged, saying it was signed under duress. The barons declared war on him, and Windsor was besieged for three months. However, King John died in October 1216 after eating too many peaches, and drinking too much cider. Long story short: The charter was reissued.
Back in London, we finally see the documents at the British Library’s Magna Carta exhibition. Offering an intriguing collection of over 200 items, including the only four surviving copies of the original Magna Carta, the collection took curators more than five years to put together. It shows how the charter influenced the thinking of leaders globally, from Thomas Jefferson to Winston Churchill, from Mahatma Gandhi to Nelson Mandela. And how it continues to influence modern politics even today.
