In 1215, King John sealed Magna
Carta by the Thames at Runnymede in Surrey, a charter between the monarch and his
Barons placing limits on his power over freeborn men in the kingdom. Magna Carta
enshrined the principle that all people should be bound by the rule of law,
including the monarch, and that the processes of justice must be applied to
all. Many political thinkers have celebrated Magna Carta as the first example
of a bill of rights, an ancient constitution.
This introductory course, based on a new level 5 course Commemorating the Past that will be offered for the first time in 2015-16, examines the historical roles that Magna Carta has played, and the importance of Magna Carta today. Members of the History Department at Royal Holloway, a college of the University of London, will deliver the course. In addition to the lectures with an explicit historical focus, the lectures in week fours and five will explore the continuing international significance of Magna Carta, and of Runnymede, through video segments produced by lecturers in the Geography Department and the Politics and International Relations Department.
