Magna Carta
Got this off a blog: Today is the anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta in 1215. The following provisions are still valid in English law: (1) FIRST, THAT WE HAVE GRANTED TO GOD, and by this present charter have confirmed for us and our heirs in perpetuity, that the English Church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished, and its liberties unimpaired. That we wish this so to be observed, appears from the fact that of our own free will, before the outbreak of the present dispute between us and our barons, we granted and confirmed by charter the freedom of the Church's elections - a right reckoned to be of the greatest necessity and importance to it - and caused this to be confirmed by Pope Innocent III. This freedom we shall observe ourselves, and desire to be observed in good faith by our heirs in perpetuity. (13) The city of London shall enjoy all its ancient liberties and free customs, both by land and by water. We also will and grant that all other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports shall enjoy all their liberties and free customs. (39) 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. (40) To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.

Just read about it on wikipedia. Kinda cool. It's a good thing to realise ourselves why these things were once written down.

Magna Carta were a 'group' in the 1970s ........

There is one of those wonderful scholarly disputes going on now *yawns* about whether today is actually the anniversary or whether it is really the 19th - someone is arguing that it was later and another illustration of the way that King John managed to negotiate his way out of the bits he really didn't want - whilst leaving alot of the rest fatally weakened. (I'll try and find the reference after the dust has settled tomorrow.)

I'm on the edge of my seat. ;)

King John--didn't Shakespeare write a play about him?

There were plays about King Richard and King Henry, I know that. King John is in Robin Hood.

It was one of his shorter plays.

A couple of Richards (II and III), four Henrys (IV, V, VI and VIII) and one John. :)

John was Richard Lionheart's (the one big on crusading) younger brother. Not popular, but important because of the Magna Carta.

Which one was the Black Prince? Wasn't he a John too?

No, he was an Eddie, a hundred-and-fiftyish years later.

Damn English with their common names that all seem the same.

Agreed. A king Raspberry here and there would have brightened up the history books nicely.