Magna Carta

by David Arscott Carpenter (Commentary)

With a new commentary by David Carpenter

"No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land."

Magna Carta is probably the most famous declaration in western legal history. Wrested by rebellious barons from a very reluctant King John, it set out a series of rights and duties which have been appealed to, ignored, suppressed and argued about ever since.

2015 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta's creation - an event which will be marked with exhibitions, commemorations and debates in all the countries over whose constitutions and legal assumptions the shadow of Magna Carta hangs.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Law, Politics, Medieval, Classics, Medieval History

522 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1215

About the author

David Arscott Carpenter is an English historian, currently Professor of Medieval History at King's College London. He has written widely on the reign of Henry III.

David Carpenter is Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London and an expert in thirteenth-century England. He has published extensively on politics and society in the reigns of King John and Henry III as well as on the context, issue and reception of Magna Carta. His book The Struggle for Mastery: Britain 1066-1284 is widely read by scholars, students and the general public. Professor Carpenter has been tracing versions of Magna Carta 1215 for the Magna Carta Project and is currently preparing a book on the Charter for Penguin.

Reviews

[dean]

i love writing whole presentations on one single page of laws

[Matthew Gurteen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the Magna Carta itself is an interesting text worthy of historical analysis that I am glad to have read, the rest and indeed, the majority of the Penguin Classics edition edited by David Carpenter, is not. It is honestly a miracle that I finished this book which is largely repetitive phrases about the Magna Carta. I thought about DNFing it several times. Grammatically speaking, there was nothing wrong with the text. Just because a book has no spelling errors, however, does not make it fun to read.

This edition of the Magna Carta is useless to anyone not studying it at a high academic level. There were some interesting facts, but mostly David Carpenter's Magna Carta is twice the length it needs to be and one of the dryest texts I have ever read. The editor tries to fix this by adding informal jokes and quips. They just come across as snobby more than endearing, however. Someone who thinks it is appropriate to compare medieval knights to Nazis clearly needs to rethink the focus of their book!

Overall, although I am glad to have gained a deeper understanding of this influential national text, I could not recommend this edition to anyone.

[Justin Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, I imagine, if you have Magna Carta memorized, but otherwise more a reference book than a book. It's entirely possible that every factoid about Magna Carta has been recorded here, by David Carpenter, somewhere. Unfortunately, factoids strung together are not interesting to read.

That said, Carpenter organizes his work clearly enough that the book is eminently skimmable, and I know more about Magna Carta now than I did before I started (which was, admittedly, nothing). But considering how well he writes, and how interesting the story itself is, this is some dry-as-dust stuff.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essential reading if you are one ofDavid Carpener's students and woe betide ye who do not do so. For the general reader this is undigestible. Yes, there are some fascinating facts but there is too much "also true but dull" to wade through. David is clearly highly well informed but also rather self important. Don't read this unless you have to do so.

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The king is now subject to law.

A check is placed upon arbitrary and tyrannical rule and the whole social order begins to shift towards a tax-based parliamentary system.

But how to conceptualise an ideal standard and subordinate the royal will to a higher principle? The popularity of the Arthurian legends certainly helped, as did the Bible passages on Saul and works by Augustine, Gregory the Great and Isidore of Seville; wording also played a crucial role, 'kingdom' was replaced by broader terms like 'land' or 'England'.

Sealed by King John on the meadows of Runnymede on the 15th of June 1215, the most striking section of the Charter is perhaps its security clause: a permanent commune of 25 men were charged with bringing the King to heel - Magna Carta was not a lofty and philosophical pledge but a gritty and practical tool, a curtailment rather than a liberation.

This book also gives an in-depth discussion into the circumstances under which the Charter was signed as well as an assessment of John himself... not a particularly pleasant individual but not entirely without redeeming qualities.

A quick mention should also be given to the Archbishop of Langton who was instrumental in saving the spirit of the Charter during the ensuing civil war!

[Matt Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many have heard of the "Magna Carta," but have never read it. It is a difficult, slow read, best digested in small portions. It is useful background for understanding English common law. If you are interested in working in the legal field, give it a try. If you can make it through this, you should have no problem tackling case law.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a book you read for pure entertainment, but rather for educational purposes. Since the Magna Carta was such a foundational document in the history of political science and the inevitable push toward humanism, this is a must read for people interested in political history.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magna Carta is fascinating both for its history and as a legal document. Carpenter has done a great service in providing a critical and historical commentary on this Great Charter. The one negative review by Matthew Gurteen should be ignored. He probably just has attention span issues.

[Harish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful.

[Brosnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, it's Magna Carta.

[Comes]

Latin w/ English test and extensive commentary. You won't need much more than this for the Magna Carta.

[Elizabeth Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in-depth but readable look at how the (1215) Magna Carta came to be, and how the provisions in the charter affected different members of Angevin society. I only briefly skimmed the chapters on later reissues and later interpretations and effects of the charter, since it's not relevant to my research interests.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely well written, though dense.