“We owe the Magna Carta to the cowardice and tyranny of King John. King John (1166-1216) was an unusually cruel and corrupt king, whose punishments were swift and extreme. In 1208, angry with his close friend Sir William de Braose, he demanded William’s son as a hostage. Williams wife Maude refused so John had her and her son imprisoned and starved to death. When they were found the young man’s cheeks had been eaten in desperation by his mother.
King John’s reputation for cruelty did not follow him onto the battlefield where he was as likely to flee as he was to fight. After 15 years of rule he had lost most of his French lands in battle and more than half of his father’s Empire, this meant that the Barons, the most powerful knights of his court, also lost their French Estates.
To make up for his losses, John taxed the Barons heavily. Exasperated, the baron tried to present John with a list of demands to limit his power. He refused to meet them, so the barons marched on London, taking control of the king’s Treasury. Unable to pay his troops John was forced to negotiate. In June 1215, a field called Runnymede was chosen as a neutral territory for both sides to meet; 3 miles from King John’s Windsor Castle and 2 miles from the barons stronghold at Staines.”
Bill and Jeff's Historical Travel Blog 