1215: The Year of Magna Carta Paperback – June 15, 2005

Having read "The Life and Death of King John" by William Shakespeare, I was quite interested in reading "1215: The Year of Magna Carta" by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham. Both are about King John, but the differences are startling. For one, Shakespeare's King John is more interesting, as well as treacherous and power-hungary, but never dull or predictable. He dies a somewhat respectable death, at the hands of a zealous monk. The historical King John was another story. He was treacherous and power-hungary too, but also lazy and self-centered, who died painfully as the result of gluttony. The other difference has to do with Magna Carta: while Danziger and Gillingham devote a fair portion of their book discussing it, Shakespeare avoids the subject entirely.What Danziger and Gillingham do particularly well is set the scene, by describing how people lived in 13th-century England: what they ate, what they wore, how they made a living, the state of housing and castles, the state of education, law and the courts, the conditions of roads and bridges, and so on. When the authors get around to King John, they show how John's treachery led to the loss of England's cross-channel empire in France, that once stretched as far south as the Pyrenees. Prior to these losses of 1203-4, John and his brother Richard had been French princes, ruling their empire from castles on both sides of the English Chanel, decidedly French in their outlook and language. After 1204 the center of gravity shifted and John and his descendants became English kings who spoke the language. While John's loss of empire was disastrous from a political point of view, in the long run it proved to be a good thing, say the authors. Most English historians agree because "the French possessions were an encumbrance that endangered the sound development of a truly English state and culture." And, "the noble language of Milton and Burke would have remained a rustic dialect, contemptuously abandoned to the use of boors." In other words, John's treachery was England's making.King John's treachery also led to the creation of Europe's first ever written constitution--the Magna Carta, which John was forced to sign on the field at Runnymede. Having come at a great cost, the Magna Carta was for several centuries thereafter ignored by English kings, which is probably why Shakespeare failed to mention it in his play. "Yet it survived," the authors tell us, and like the leaven that leavens the whole loaf, it influenced every aspect of English society. "In 1770 William Pitt the Elder called it `the Bible of the English Constitution.'" Taken to the the American colonies, "it influenced both the Constitution of the United States and the laws of individual states."Danziger and Gillingham's short book (290 pages) is highly informative yet reads like a novel. Having read all of Shakespeare's Histories, as well as books about Roman occupation of Britain, Anglo-Saxons, King Alfred the Great, and now "1215: The Year of Magna Carta," it's made me, born and bred on the California High Desert, feel something like a proper Englishmen.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book and a good place to start to get an idea of what life was like in England in 1215. The title of the book, however, is little misleading, for while the subtitle of the book purports to be about the Magna Carta, and while the Magna Carta is discussed, it is not the main focus of the book and its connection to the Magna Carta is tangential.The authors begin their discussion of the Magna Carta in the most oblique manner. Proceeding forward, each chapter deals with one element of English life in 1215, say, for example, The Church, The Family, The Castle, Education, etc. Each chapter proceeds to discuss what life was like as relating to those elements of English society, and the authors begin each chapter with a brief quotation from the Magna Carta dealing with that part of English society. For much of the book that is the extent it discusses the connection between the year 1215 and the Magna Carta. While the title and material in the inside flap of the book cover give the impression that the main focus is the Magna Carta, and the authors do into a little more detail towards the latter one-fourth of the book, it is really about English society at that time and the "Great Charter" is definitely relegated to second and perhaps third place (after describing the historical and military events of that time).The Magna Carta by name is not even mentioned until half-way through the book.While describing the societal and behavioral mores of mediaeval England, it does not even go into detail of the specific political events leading up to the signing of the Magna Carta.The book is not without its virtues. It gives a detailed look at life in 1215 and covers topics not easily found elsewhere. It discusses the development of boroughs throughout England, the contemporary version of land development which spurred the proliferation of markets and capital. Strangely enough, there are many scholarly books on this important part of English history directed to the academic community but few books intended for the mainstream reading public. It offers insights to issues relevant today. For example, it indicates that the climate in England in 1215 was much more temperate, to the extent that Vineyards flourished in the north of England, and that England was known for its wine production, something unthinkable today. This should give people advocating Climate Change pause. While Climate Change is indeed a reality, it is doubtful whether it is all due to carbon dioxide discharges from man-made activities. Sometimes the earth goes through climatic changes, as it did after 1215, without human intervention. Also, the account of the English legal system as it existed in 1215 is absolutely fascinating. England at the time was an odd mix of a nascent legal system of writs and legal proceedings on the one hand and a primitive practice of trials by ordeals, ala Monty Python and the Holy Grail, on the other. The author give perspective on a common complaint about delays in the administration of justice. The authors indicate that simple cases took up to five years and more, after which a bestial trial by ordeal would follow. One reason settlement among the parties was developed at the same time.In the last chapter of the book discusses the Magna Carta. To justify its title the authors appended the text of the Magna Carta.It seems the authors either wanted to explain too much or could not decide what they want to discuss more: A history of England in 1215 or a study in the Magna Carta. The book does a better job simply describing life in 1215. The comprehensiveness in the authors' detail in describing English society is truly admirable and alone justifies the purchase and reading of this book. If only the authors could have devoted that same comprehensive detail on the Magna Carta itself!

I assume John Gillingham provided most of the scholarly input to this book. I highly recommend his Medieval Britain: A Very Short Introduction, written with Ralph Griffiths, if you want to delve a little deeper. In fact, it would be better to read that (as the title suggests, it's quite short) before reading this book, as it is broader in scope.The 13th century is something of a favorite among historians, often referred to as "the greatest of centuries". This is not only because of the number of significant events it encompassed, but also because of the mass of documentation that was produced. This was an age when everything was recorded and filed away - court proceedings, manorial records, wills, etc - leaving a rich seam for scholars to mine. The most famous document of them all was Magna Carter, the great constitutional charter the first version of which appeared early in the century, in the year which is the focus of this book.Danziger and Gillingham give a highly readable and endlessly fascinating account of the period. They provide a snapshot of English life in 1215 - in the home, at work, at war, at court, in the church, etc - with plenty of historical context, to set the scene. Strongly recommended.[PeterReeve]

Short descriptions of various aspects of life in 1215 , introduced by the relevant Magna Carta application . I had not realized the breadth of Magna Carta .