Cotton MS Augustus II.106, one of four surviving
exemplifications of Magna Carta. This document, sealed by
King John of England on 15 June 1215 (
O.S.), was drafted by the
Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular king and a group of rebel
barons. The charter promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on
feudal payments to
the Crown.
The document was reissued and renewed several times over the centuries, though its political impact decreased as later laws were passed. The charter was significant because the king had agreed to limit his power, so that although it dealt predominantly with the king and the barons, since the late 16th century it has been considered a symbol of liberty and the freedom of the individual.