Where in England was the Magna Carta signed in 1215?

The Magna Carta was signed at a field near Runnymede in England in 1215. More precisely, King John sealed the charter at Runnymede, a water-meadow beside the River Thames near Windsor, on 15 June 1215.

Runnymede was chosen as neutral ground between John’s stronghold at Windsor Castle and the rebel barons’ base at Staines. The meeting followed a period of conflict in which the barons demanded limits on royal power, protection from unlawful imprisonment, fair justice, and restraints on certain feudal payments.

The agreement did not create modern democracy, and both sides soon rejected its terms. Pope Innocent III annulled the charter, helping trigger the First Barons’ War. Even so, later versions of Magna Carta became influential symbols of the rule of law and the idea that rulers are subject to legal limits.

A common mix-up is saying that the document was signed at Windsor Castle. Windsor was nearby and important to the negotiations, but Runnymede was the actual meeting place. The 1215 charter survives in four original copies, held at the British Library, Lincoln Castle, and Salisbury Cathedral.