Magna Carta: king v barons

Magna Carta. It's one of history's most famous documents. But how did the febrile world of 13th century politics lead to its creation? And what were its consequences? Over the next four Sundays on the History Extra podcast, Emily Briffitt is going to be joined by historian Professor Nicholas Vincent to explore just that, kicking off with today's first episode.

In the early 13th century, England was a kingdom under pressure, as the challenges posed by King John's reign had left the realm restless. But by 1215 such tensions had reached a boiling point. What began as isolated grumblings among nobles soon evolved into an organized challenge to royal authority, and would ultimately lead to a charter that would leave an indelible mark on history far beyond their own lifetimes. I'm Emily Briffitt and I'm joined by historian Professor Nicholas Vincent. In this first episode of our series on Magna Carta, we're setting the stage with John's disastrous reign, charting taxes, war failures, papal relations and baronial rebellion.

All building up to the showdown at Runnymede in 1215. Welcome, Nick. It's a pleasure to have you on. Lovely to be here. So, as I've said, today we are going to be setting the scene for Magna Carta.

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