How The Shocking Behaviour Of England's Worst King Created Democracy.

This is Runnymede, the meadow where one of the most famous documents in history was signed in 1215. King John — the only English king ever nicknamed “Bad” — met a group of rebel barons here to negotiate peace after a bitter internal conflict.

John’s reign was a disaster. Cruel, ineffective, and constantly broke, he had lost almost all of England’s lands in France and tried to fix it by squeezing every penny he could from the Church and the nobility. By 1215, taxes were six times higher than when he became king. Even the Church was so fed up it excommunicated him.

The barons finally snapped. They didn’t want a new king — they just wanted to stop John destroying the realm. What they created was Magna Carta: 63 clauses aimed squarely at limiting royal power. Among them, the famous “golden clauses”:
No free man imprisoned without a fair trial. Justice not sold.

But how much did this help the average person? Was this really the birth of modern liberty, or an elite document written by elites… for elites?

In this video, we explore:
• How bad King John really was
• The strange, specific clauses that benefitted powerful medieval interests
• Why “no fish weirs in the River Medway” mattered
• How Magna Carta was annulled within months
• The chaos that followed — including the loss of John’s crown jewels in the Wash
• John’s infamous death (peaches and cider…?)
• How the charter was revived under Henry III and became the foundation for English law

We visit the modern memorials at Runnymede, including Writ in Water, the JFK Memorial, and the ancient Ankerwycke Yew, which stood here for over 1,400 years — and may have witnessed the signing.

Magna Carta wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t democratic. It wasn’t even meant for most people. But its legacy changed the world. Rights aren’t divine — they’re fought for, defended, and preserved.

Join me as we uncover the truth behind the legend.

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