The Magna Carta is the 1215 English charter widely regarded as an early foundation of constitutional government.
King John sealed the charter at Runnymede in June 1215 after a rebellion by a group of barons. It sought to limit aspects of royal power and address disputes over taxation, justice, feudal obligations, and the rights of the church. The original agreement was not a modern declaration of universal equality, and many of its clauses concerned the interests of medieval nobles.
Most of the 1215 text later became obsolete or was annulled, but some principles endured through later reissues. The best-known surviving ideas include that the ruler is subject to law and that lawful judgment and established legal process matter.
Only four copies of the 1215 Magna Carta are known to survive. Its influence expanded over centuries, especially in English constitutional history and in political traditions that shaped documents such as the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.