Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty Kindle Edition

“When the chronicler Matthew Paris reflected on the fate of John’s soul twenty years after his death, he famously declared that “England reeks with John’s filthy deeds; the foulness of Hell is defiled by John.””

“No clause of the charter mentions or was intended to promote anything that we would today consider “democratic”; indeed, the idea of democracy was alien and would quite possibly have been offensive to the wealthy, oligarchical, and largely self- interested barons who opposed King John in 1215. “

“Magna Carta” by Dan Jones continues his stories on the Plantagenets with this non- fiction book on King John and the Magna Carta. Mr. Jones writes in a way that immerses you into the past and makes it come alive.

Even though the Magna Carta is looked up to around the world as a tool of democracy, Mr. Jones points out that it was not that way at all. It was so the rich barons and the church would not have to pay exorbitant taxes to the monarch.

Another great tidbit I learned is that the original Magna Carta was not successful and King John after being forced to sign it continued his war with the Barons. The Pope at the time Innocent, condemned it. The barons decided the French King Louis would be a better King and joined him in trying to take over the country. King John died before the war ended and his young son took over as Henry III. William Marshall took over as regent and was able to get the barons back on the young king’s side. I think William Marshall was the real hero of this book and one who was steadfast in his support.

I really enjoyed this book about King John and his reign. There is a lot of pre-John information and loads of stories on the Magna Carta today around the world.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves history and the true stories of governments and how they evolved.

I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program for an honest review.

The Magna Carta -- not at all what you're expecting. This isn't a case of the little guys winning over on the king, not at all. It's a bunch of very rich, very powerful white guys, who are unhappy with the arbitrary and cruel (not to mention, very expensive) rule of King John. Remember Robin Hood? How he and the Merry Men were so happy when Richard the Lionheart returned from a Crusade, and this meant that the cruel brother, John, would be pushed aside at last? Yeah, well, Richard dies and John takes the throne; yes, that John. And he pisses off the rich barons. They go to war with him, and ultimately try to quell him using this incredible document, the Magna Carta. No poor people, no downtrodden, no beleaguered unfortunate farmers in sight, it's all rich white men going after an even richer white man. Very much worth the read so that you can see how the Western sense of justice evolved from medieval feudalism.

First, let me say that if you are not a serious reader, this is not for you. That being said I loved this book. This was an eye opener for me. The facts behind the story are amazing.

Another splendid book from Dan Jones. He writes with clarity and ease. The background he gives is a great help in understanding the Magna Carta. Not sure what his next book will be it will be worth the wait.