The Magna Carta, by Lucy

Back in the days of knights and castles there lived a man named John.  John was the brother to the King of England. The Kings name was Richard. People called him Richard the Lionhearted. Richard was a strong and handsome fellow with lovely, long, blond hair. John on the other hand was a nice little, fat looser who was sparse in hair was losing it by the hour. 

Everyone loved Richard the Lionhearted, King of England. He was nice and a just king. One day King Richard had to leave his castle and go off to war. While he was gone, his little brother decided to take the throne and he told everyone that Richard their King had died. Prince John was not just and he wanted more money as he ruled so he made everyone pay him tons and tons of money in taxes. This made the people very poor and they did not like Prince John.

One day Richard the Lionhearted, the true King of England came back home and took back his throne. Everyone was so happy at the occasion.

A few years later when King Richard the Lionhearted died, the throne went to John.

Nobody liked King John. He taxed the people so high that they were all poor! By the time they were ready for a war, pretty much no one had any money. 

One day a big crowd of people came to the castle. The King could hear them outside so he dressed in his royal robes and called his men and they all went down to the gate to meet the angry mob. By the time he got down there and saw their faces, he knew he would not get out of this on his throne unless he did what they told him to do.

These men brought a paper. It was almost a book of laws. It said what the King would have to do and how he would have to live if he wanted his throne. This book of laws was called The Magna Carta. King John signed and was no longer the boss of everyone and everything. He now had laws to live by just as everyone else did. The signing of the Magna Carta was a great event that took place in England in the year 1215 and a wonderful growth of the people’s freedom.