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King John stood on the meadow of Runnymede, chewing upon his own tongue. He was angry. All of his advisers, knights and noblemen were keeping their distance, fearful of angering him further and being sent to the Tower. His fits of anger were well-known to those close to him.
Only a few hundred metres away from him rode the barons of the revolt. Supported by the Scots and the French, welcomed by the population of London, the barons had come to chain him to an agreement he had no choice but to sign. He was not happy.
“My lord, it is time,” a knight said, gesturing to the table that had been prepared for the Charter that had been created by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton.
“Yes, it is,” King John replied curtly, walking to the table as the head barons clambered off their horses. The barons would sign first and they walked past the King toward the table.
They exchanged pleasant greetings through gritted teeth, the King wishing that he could place their heads on spikes or lock the troublesome rebels within various prisons.
However with the public supporting the so-called ‘Army of God’, King John had no choice but to appease the baronial revolt. As the Archbishop directed the barons to sign, the King waited patiently before moving forward to cast his eyes over the settlement.
It was filled with various individual complaints, a baron arguing that his rights had been infringed upon. King John though felt his blood boil with anger as he read the other sections in front of him.
The Church would be protected. There would be no new taxation without baronial consent. A council of barons would be made to ensure that he followed the rules and all free men would be protected from illegal imprisonment and have a right for swift justice.
The King had to suppress a laugh at this. The barons had come to secure freedom from his rule, but only for them. They cared no more for the poor than he did.
“It is done,” King John said, signing his name upon the paper and standing back.
“Excellent,” the Archbishop said. “Let this great charter, this Magna Carta, be the first step towards a more united kingdom.”
“We hope so,” one of the barons said, smiling smugly at the King.
“And so do I,” the King replied, turning his back upon the traitors. He had no intention of keeping to the terms and he knew that the rebels wouldn’t either.
All he had done was given himself enough time to prepare for war. He would secure the support of the Marcher Lords and save up
enough money to buy an army and crush the smiling traitors that stood right behind him. If he had his way, they would end up in prison soon enough.
Here is Richard reading the story to you.
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