World History
What is the best time to celebrate Britishness? According to a poll by the BBC, it is June 15th. This is the day that the Magna Carta imposed on King John in 1215 by rebel barons limited the power of the King and gave ordinary people rights under common law.
Are the British starting to move away from World War Two as their defining moment? BBC History magazine editor Dave Musgrove said the choice of the Magna Carta anniversary may indicate the UK is moving on from a "dependence on World War II as the critical point in our island story."
Of course, the Magna Carta is English, not British. "The problem with a Magna Carta day is that this was originally very much an English, not a British significant event," said Linda Colley, Professor of history at Princeton University.
One commenter on the story noted, "My National Day would be the anniversary of the date in AD410, when the famous letter of the Emperor Honorius told the cities of Britain to look to their own defences, and as a result started a period where we have never again been occupied." Well, England has not been occupied but some Scots, Welsh, and Irish may feel differently...
The full story is Magna Carta tops British day poll.
- Magna Carta
Magna Carta Rebellious barons required that King John of England approve the Magna Carta (Latin for “the Great Charterâ€) in 1215. Many consider the document to be the foundation of English constitutional government and individual liberties....
- Twitter: British Monarchy
This has got to be historic. Twitter: British Monarchy has the official Twitter stream for the British Monarchy, featuring news and updates about Royal events. If only King John had had Twitter. Maybe good PR would have prevented the Magna Carta......
- John 'lackland', King Of England 1199-1216
John 'Lackland', King of England 1199-1216. The Age of Chivalry has this essay up dealing with this Medieval English king. History has generally believed that King John was a disaster. He is a villian in the Robin Hood myths. He is portrayed as...
- The Cyrus Cylinder: Symbol Of Religious Tolerance
British Museum director, Neil MacGregor, argues that the the Babylonian cylinder, discovered in 1879, stands with the American Constitution and the Magna Carta as one of the great documents of religious tolerance. In this twenty minute Ted...
- The Magna Carta: No Taxation Without Representation
A Library of Congress blog has a great short essay about the importance of the Magna Carta. I might copy it for my freshmen when we cover the creation of nation states next month. The author, Nathan Dorn, reminds us that the Magna Carta "helped give birth...
World History
Magna Carta tops British day poll
What is the best time to celebrate Britishness? According to a poll by the BBC, it is June 15th. This is the day that the Magna Carta imposed on King John in 1215 by rebel barons limited the power of the King and gave ordinary people rights under common law.Are the British starting to move away from World War Two as their defining moment? BBC History magazine editor Dave Musgrove said the choice of the Magna Carta anniversary may indicate the UK is moving on from a "dependence on World War II as the critical point in our island story."
Of course, the Magna Carta is English, not British. "The problem with a Magna Carta day is that this was originally very much an English, not a British significant event," said Linda Colley, Professor of history at Princeton University.
One commenter on the story noted, "My National Day would be the anniversary of the date in AD410, when the famous letter of the Emperor Honorius told the cities of Britain to look to their own defences, and as a result started a period where we have never again been occupied." Well, England has not been occupied but some Scots, Welsh, and Irish may feel differently...
The full story is Magna Carta tops British day poll.
- Magna Carta
Magna Carta Rebellious barons required that King John of England approve the Magna Carta (Latin for “the Great Charterâ€) in 1215. Many consider the document to be the foundation of English constitutional government and individual liberties....
- Twitter: British Monarchy
This has got to be historic. Twitter: British Monarchy has the official Twitter stream for the British Monarchy, featuring news and updates about Royal events. If only King John had had Twitter. Maybe good PR would have prevented the Magna Carta......
- John 'lackland', King Of England 1199-1216
John 'Lackland', King of England 1199-1216. The Age of Chivalry has this essay up dealing with this Medieval English king. History has generally believed that King John was a disaster. He is a villian in the Robin Hood myths. He is portrayed as...
- The Cyrus Cylinder: Symbol Of Religious Tolerance
British Museum director, Neil MacGregor, argues that the the Babylonian cylinder, discovered in 1879, stands with the American Constitution and the Magna Carta as one of the great documents of religious tolerance. In this twenty minute Ted...
- The Magna Carta: No Taxation Without Representation
A Library of Congress blog has a great short essay about the importance of the Magna Carta. I might copy it for my freshmen when we cover the creation of nation states next month. The author, Nathan Dorn, reminds us that the Magna Carta "helped give birth...