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"Using sources these four sources in their historical context, assess how far they support the view that Magna Carta did not solve the differences between King John and the Barons" Model Essay£5.99
"Using sources these four sources in their historical context, assess how far they support the view that Magna Carta did not solve the differences between King John and the Barons" Model Essay
A model, A grade 30 mark essay analysing historical sources to assess the view that Magna Carta did not solve the differences between King John and his barons
Using sources these four sources in their historical context, assess how far they support
the view that Magna Carta did not solve the differences between King John and the
Barons
King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215, which was a list of demands from the barons in order to hold
John accountable for his actions. However, the extent to which Magna Carta actually solved the issues
between John and the Barons is debatable. Source A disagrees with the view that Magna Carta did not
solve these issues whilst sources B, C and D all agree.
On the one hand, source A disagrees with the statement unlike the other three sources. Source A is an
extract from the official Magna Carta itself. Since source A is an official document, this increases its
reliability and means that it is less likely to be biased so will allow us to see the events through unbiased
lenses. This source disagrees with the view that Magna Carta did not solve the differences between John
and the Barons and presents the idea that instead it would “give them the security” to solve the issues
between them and John. This extract from the charter is from clause 61 which focuses on how the Barons
would ensure John followed the Magna Carta and how they would hold him accountable. According to this
source, the way it planned to do this was that “the barons shall choose any 25 barons” who would ensure
John followed the Magna Carta and had the power to depose of him and overthrow him if necessary if he
did not follow it. John often didn’t follow the law, for example collecting scutage 11 times in 10 years
despite there only being one war, so this clause aimed to hold him accountable for his actions and force
him to follow the Magna Carta, therefore solving the issues between King John and the Barons. Whilst this
source is very accurate and reliable, it lacks perspective so is incomplete and less useful. The Magna Carta
was written in 1215 so does not show us what happened after it was signed and how effective it was.
Although source A outlines the plan to hold John accountable, this was ineffective and John in fact did not
follow the Magna Carta and had Pope Innocent annul it, leading to a civil war in 1216 up until John’s death
in October 1216. Therefore, whilst source A disagrees that Magna Carta did not solve the issues between
John and the Barons, this source, whilst accurate and reliable, is less useful as it lacks perspective in seeing
how effective this clause was.
On the other hand, sources B, C and D all agree that Magna Carta did not solve the differences between
John and the Barons. Source B focuses on how the Magna Carta angered John and how he clearly did not
intend to follow it. This source mentions how John “commenced gnashing his teeth, scowling with his
eyes” which clearly demonstrates John’s anger. This however is clearly an exaggeration as the author of
the source, Matthew Paris, was a monastic writer and they tended to over exaggerate and make up details
in their accounts in order to paint John in a negative light. The church was mainly on the side of the barons
and supported the Magna Carta as its first clause focussed on church freedom and many churches had
been badly affected by John, particularly during the interdict when he squeezed money out of them.
Therefore, monastic writers like Matthew Parris exaggerate their accounts, which makes them less reliable.
Also, Matthew Paris was not an eyewitness and clearly made up details such as how John “concealed his
inward bitterness” as it is unlikely Paris would know this. However, we know that John was extremely
angry with the Magna Carta and only signed it to buy himself time so this source has some accuracy. He
had the Pope annul it and wrote angry letters to the Pope, claiming that the Magna Carta violated his rights
as King. Source B is useful in showing us how many people felt at the time as most people, particularly the
church and the barons, disliked John and felt that he should have followed the Magna Carta. There was a
common belief at the time that the Magna Carta did not solve the problems between John and his Barons
and source B clearly reflects this.
Moreover, source C also agrees that the Magna Carta did not solve the differences between John and the
Barons. This source presents the viewpoint that the aims of Magna Carta were to solve these issues and
the Barons were very cooperative but John was not and felt threatened by the charter and refused to meet
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