How was King John 'forced' to sign the Magna Carter?

Question

How did the nobles 'force' the King to sign the Magna Carter?

Didnt he have enough power not to be forced into it?

Answer 1

The barons had swords and they knew how to use them. They controlled their own bands of fighting men. King John, or indeed any king, depended entirely on the barons for support. This is what the feudal system was about. They could easily have deposed John from the throne, but this would have set a precedent because if you can dethrone a king you can disposses a baron, and that wouldn't do. So they threatened him and made him sign the paper.

More at this URL:

Answer 2

It's "Magna Carta" (Latin for "Great Charter", literally "Great Paper").

It's all about John's English barons, who didn't like John's taxes and the reduction of their powers.

"[A] series of stunning failures on his part led the English barons to revolt and place checks on the king's power."

"King John's actions in France were a major cause of discontent in the realm." ... "As a result, John was revealed as a weak military leader, and one who lost to the French a major source of income, neither of which made him popular at home. Worse, to recoup his expenses, John had to further tax the already unhappy barons."

"At the time of John’s reign there was still a great deal of controversy as to how the Archbishop of Canterbury was to be elected, although it had become traditional that the monarch would appoint a candidate with the approval of the monks of Canterbury." ... "John finally backed down and agreed to endorse Langton and allow the exiles to return, and to completely placate the pope, he gave England and Ireland as papal territories and rented them back as a fiefdom for 1,000 marks per annum. This further enraged the barons as it meant that they had even less autonomy in their own lands."

"[The] government of King John needed money for armies, for during this period of prosperity mercenary soldiers cost nearly twice as much as before. The loss of the French territories, especially Normandy, greatly reduced the state income and a huge tax would have to be raised in order to attempt to reclaim these territories. Yet it was difficult to raise taxes due to the tradition of keeping them at the same level."

"Novel forms of income included a Forest law, a set of regulations about the king’s forest which were easily broken and severely punished. John also increased the pre-existing scutage (feudal payment to an overlord replacing direct military service) eleven times in his seventeen years as king, as compared to eleven times in twice that period covering three monarchs before him. The last two of these increases were double the increase of their predecessors. He also imposed the first income tax which raised to what was, at the time, the extortionate sum of £60,000."

"By 1215, some of the barons of England banded together and took London by force on June 10, 1215. They, and many of the fence-sitting moderates not in overt rebellion, forced King John to agree to the "Articles of the Barons", to which his Great Seal was attached in the meadow at Runnymede on June 15, 1215."

Answer 3

Power to rule a people only exists as long as the people permit it. In John's case, the Barons had a sword at his throat and he had to rule through them or not rule at all. He could not do it himself.