9 Important Ways Magna Carta Made Britain Truly Free

No more would we labour under the yoke of obligatory bridge-building.

Translations via the British Library.

Thanks to Magna Carta, the Queen isn't allowed to steal your wood to build her castle.

"Neither we nor any royal official will take wood for our castle, or for any other purpose, without the consent of the owner."

Evrart de Conty, Le livre des échecs amoureux moralisés / Via gallica.bnf.fr

Thanks to Magna Carta, if you die, your wife and kids won't have to pay off any debts you owe to Jews.

"If a man dies owing money to Jews, his wife may have her dower and pay nothing towards the debt from it. If he leaves children that are under age, their needs may also be provided for on a scale appropriate to the size of his holding of lands. The debt is to be paid out of the residue, reserving the service due to his feudal lords. Debts owed to persons other than Jews are to be dealt with similarly."

“The Birth of the Virgin in the Initial G”, Metropolitan Museum of Art / Via nytimes.com

Thanks to Magna Carta, you don't have to build bridges – well, most of you don't.

"No town or person shall be forced to build bridges over rivers except those with an ancient obligation to do so."

Detail of a miniature from "The Chronicles of Gilles Li Muisis" (1272-1352), abbot of the monastery of St. Martin of the Righteous. Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, / Via commons.wikimedia.org

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