The Magna Carta

This passage discusses an important document in history called the Magna Carta.

Lexile Level: 650L

Categories: History People & Places

The Magna Carta was written a long time ago. However, the words in it served as a model for our form of government. In 1215, King John of England kept losing wars in France. Over and over, he asked the landowners in England to give him money to fight. He did not honor the rules of the times. The landowners had enough. They began a war with King John. After some fighting, both sides agreed to a plan to help with the problems. The king agreed to honor the customs and the rules that were put in place to limit the king's power. The plan was called the Magna Carta. The king signed it. He knew he could not fight two wars, one in England and one in France. The Magna Carta changed over the next few years as rules were added and rules were taken out.