MagnaCarta,alsocalledMagnaCartaLibertatum(theGreatCharterofFreedoms),isanEnglishlegalcharter,originallyissuedintheyear1215.ItwaswritteninLatin;itsnameisusuallytranslatedintoEnglishasGreatCharter. 　　MagnaCartarequiredKingJohnofEnglandtoproclaimcertainrights(pertainingtonoblesandbarons),respectcertainlegalprocedures,andacceptthathiswillcouldbeboundbythelaw.ItexplicitlyprotectedcertainrightsoftheKing'ssubjects,whetherfreeorfettered鈥andimplicitlysupportedwhatbecamethewritofhabeascorpus,allowingappealagainstunlawfulimprisonment. 　　MagnaCartawasarguablythemostsignificantearlyinfluenceontheextensivehistoricalprocessthatledtotheruleofconstitutionallawtodayintheEnglishspeakingworld.MagnaCartainfluencedthedevelopmentofthecommonlawandmanyconstitutionaldocuments,includingtheUnitedStatesConstitution.[1]ManyclauseswererenewedthroughouttheMiddleAges,andcontinuedtoberenewedaslateasthe18thcentury.Bythesecondhalfofthe19thcentury,however,mostclausesintheiroriginalformhadbeenrepealedfromEnglishlaw. 　　MagnaCartawasthefirstdocumentforcedontoanEnglishKingbyagroupofhissubjects(thebarons)inanattempttolimithispowersbylawandprotecttheirprivileges.Itwasprecededbythe1100CharterofLibertiesinwhichKingHenryIvoluntarilystatedwhathisownpowerswereunderthelaw. 　　Inpractice,MagnaCartainthemedievalperiodmostlydidnotlimitthepowerofKings;butbythetimeoftheEnglishCivilWarithadbecomeanimportantsymbolforthosewhowishedtoshowthattheKingwasboundbythelaw. 　　MagnaCartaisnormallyunderstoodtorefertoasingledocument,thatof1215.VariousamendedversionsofMagnaCartaappearedinsubsequentyearshowever,anditisthe1297versionwhichremainsonthestatutebooksofEnglandandWales. 　　Content 　　MagnaCartawasoriginallywritteninLatin.AlargepartofMagnaCartawascopied,nearlywordforword,fromtheCharterofLibertiesofHenryI,issuedwhenHenryIascendedtothethronein1100,whichboundthekingtocertainlawsregardingthetreatmentofchurchofficialsandnobles,effectivelygrantingcertaincivillibertiestothechurchandtheEnglishnobility. 　　ThedocumentcommonlyknownasMagnaCartatodayisnotthe1215charterbutalatercharterof1225,andisusuallyshownintheformofTheCharterof1297whenitwasconfirmedbyEdwardI.Atthetimeofthe1215charter,manyoftheprovisionswerenotmeanttomakelongtermchangesbutsimplytorighttheimmediatewrongs,andthereforeTheCharterwasreissuedthreetimesinthereignofHenryIII(1216,1217and1225)inordertoprovideforanupdatedversion.Afterthis,eachindividualkingforthenexttwohundredyears(untilHenryVin1416)personallyconfirmedthe1225charterinhisowncharter. 　　[edit]Rightsstillinforcetoday 　　Formoderntimes,themostenduringlegacyofMagnaCartaisconsideredtherightofhabeascorpus.Thisrightarisesfromwhatarenowknownasclauses36,38,39,and40ofthe1215MagnaCarta. 　　Asthemostrecentversion,itisthe1297CharterwhichremainsinlegalforceinEnglandandWales.Usingtheclausesinthe1297charter(thecontentandnumberingaresomewhatdifferentfromthe1215Charter):Clause1guaranteesthefreedomoftheEnglishChurch.Althoughthisoriginallymea