Magna Carta

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Image from http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
In 1215 a group of nobles forced the king to acknowledge their rights. They had him sign the Magna Carta. One of the rules of the Magna Carta was that you had to have a reason to put someone in jail. Also, the Magna Carta stated that everyone, including the king, had to follow all the laws. Because of this, they wanted to limit the kings power even more. A concil filled with nobles were formed to advise the king. This concil developed into parlament. Parlament is the lawmaking group that governs over modern Europe. Later on, town leaders and knights could join. In the late 1600's, courts were freed of the king's control.