Magna Carta Unlocked | Episode 1 | Freedom and Representation

Vision Video
Vision Video
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Published 2022-07-21
On June 15, 1215 the signatories to a momentous document gathered in a field by the banks of the Thames: a disgruntled King John, a gaggle of rebellious barons and a group of senior clergy led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton. Magna Carta (the Great Charter) is widely regarded as the founding text of English liberties, a key part of constitutions across the globe and the inspiration behind the UN's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But all was not as it might seem from the vantage point of the present. The barons were far from being champions of the people. The Archbishop was not as impartial as he pretended. And even the Charter did not quite say what people later claimed it meant. How did the Magna Carta take on a force and reach that the original parties never intended or imagined?

Magna Carta, widely regarded as a foundational text of the British Constitution and an essential guarantor of basic freedoms, has inspired imitators across ages and across continents. To what extent is it right to see the Great Charter as a fount of freedom, democracy and rule of law, and how relevant is it today? Examining politics, science, society, law and warfare, this series show how the Magna Carta has helped make the modern world.

Director: Tom Russell, Hamish MacLeod, Yvonne Morley
Starring: Peter Warnock, Russell Wootton, Ian Cullen, Peter Hutchinson
All Comments (18)
  • @robofclanlennox
    This needs more views. People are too busy with electronic distractions these days. This is how one loses freedom: you trust others to steer the boat.
  • @kaylenehousego8929
    My education was sketchy and this episode clarified many of the missing bits. Thank you - blessings from Sydney Australia.
  • @acipoyo
    Thank you !!!! It is a reflection of where the world is going that this magnificent tale has less views than the most stupid things in the internet. Please, keep doing this! Do not loose hope!
  • @hollynoellewallen5607
    History. Liked πŸ‘. Shared on MeWe πŸ‘. Shared on Facebook πŸ‘. Saved on YouTube πŸ‘.
  • @janeth3175
    Real History...Its about dogon time. Thank you Gaia and Thank you for sharing
  • @dorianphilotheates3769
    β€œJohn, John, bad King John, shamed the throne that he sat on; not a scruple not a straw, cared this monarch for the law...”
  • @landsea7332
    . 10:30 - Here is a great concise set of comments that describe the significance of the Magna Carter . The key Clause in No . 39 β€œNo free man shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed, exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by the lawful judgement of his peers and the law of the land. " However , at the time only about 10% of the population were free men . .
  • @khachwaitv3959
    I like this movie 🎦 from πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡Ώ Tanzania
  • @landsea7332
    8:45 The Plantagenet Kings and Nobility spoke French - right up to Henry IV . Recall their family was from the Duchy of Anjou and Aquitaine . Which is why there are so many French nouns in the English Language . .
  • @thumperhunts6250
    consent of the governed is a meme that did not remove the sovereign power of the land owning aristocracy, the magna carta didnt challenge that nor did the idea of no taxation without representation, the land owning class get their taxes back as rents and always win out in the end
  • @servicekid7453
    Gets even basic facts wrong. Langton was not even there at Runnymede
  • @libertycoffeehouse3944
    Well, I thought this was a good documentary but I have a few issues. Democracy was a feature of your government not the type of government. You became a Parliamentary Republic. A Republic can be a monarchy, aristocracy, or democracy. Parliament was not truly representative of the people at that time. The key feature of a Republic is the rule of law not rule by one man, rule by group of men or rule by majority of men. Rule by law not the whim of man. You had the English Bill of Rights and other liberty documents that put limits on the government. Democracy is probably the worst form of government. No one should want to be ruled by the majority of people. The rights of the minority would never be safe. The elites who rule today like the illusion of democracy because they can take away the rights of the minority. Athens was a commercial state. They would promise jobs for votes. This is why they blundered in Sicily. The people that benefit in a commercial Republic are the banks and corporations. Thus when banks and corporations seize power they support democracy. Eventually democracy descends into mobocracy which leads to a police state. Your video should emphasize limited government. You have a mixed form of government. Representative democracy was a feature of the government. Make sense. The elites don't like the rule of law.