A revised edition of J. C. Holt's classic study of Magna Carta, the Great Charter, offering the most authoritative analysis of England's most famous constitutional text.
The book sets the events of 1215 and the Charter itself in the context of the law, politics and administration of England and Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Additionally, a lengthy new introduction by two of Holt's former pupils, George Garnett and John Hudson, examines a range of issues raised by scholarship since publication of the second edition in 1992.
These include the possible role of Archbishop Stephen Langton; the degree of influence of Roman and Canon Law upon those who drafted the Charter; other aspects of the intellectual setting of the Charter, in particular political thinking in London; the Continental context of the events of 1212–15; and the legal and jurisdictional issues that affected the Charter's clauses on justice.
- The new edition of a classic and uniquely authoritative account of the context and significance of Magna Carta
- The best introduction to government in the twelfth century, developing much more subtle approaches to the history of politics and administration
- A profound study of the reign of one of England's most notorious kings, King John, encouraging debate on the qualities required of political leadership
