Great English dates: 1215

The 61-clause Magna Carta came about during the weak rule of King John and lies at the foundation of England's civil rights

The offspring of William the Conqueror solidified the Norman hold on England. Henry I and Henry II, did so by their mastery of war, administration and the law. Richard I and King John did so by absence and incompetence, empowering the rival bases of the church and barons. By the start of the 13th century, John's failings had stirred civil war and had him scurrying...