Humans have been around for almost 300,000 years. That means there are millions upon millions of events that have happened through the course of humanity. That also means that there are many events that have affected, changed, and influenced the course of history. These influential events are labelled historically significant events. But what makes these events historically significant?

Before we get into that, I need to define the difference between past and history. The past is any event that has ever happened to anyone at any time anywhere. It is quite literally every single thing that has ever happened. Historical events are selected moments in the past that have been deemed important. 

When deciding if an event is historically significant there are 3 big categories. How notable was it, how consequential was it, and how symbolic was it. If an event can fill these categories it has a chance to be labelled historically significant. I think the final step in determining historical significance is whether the event was integral in creating the world we live in today. Now that you know a bit about historical significance, I can now tell you that the final goal of this post is to convince you all that the Magna Carta is historically significant. So without further ado, lets get into it.  

The Magna Carta was the first royal charter of rights in England. It was signed on June 15th, 1215 by King John of England and the British nobles of the time. The Magna Carta was one of the first documents that stated that the king could be bound by the law and that humans actually had rights. Its main goal was to ensure that the king did not exploit his power. Even though the first draft of the Magna Carta did not entirely work, many more drafts were created and the Magna Carta is now seen as one of the most important steps to modern democracy today. 

But how significant was the signing of the first Magna Carta? In order to determine this, let’s go back to those three pillars of historical significance. As I said before, the goal of this post is to prove that the Magna Carta is historically significant. How has the Magna Carta changed and influenced the course of human history?

Let’s look at how notable the Magna Carta is. The signing of the first Magna Carta in 1215 was a purely British affair. The only people involved were the people of England, the King of England, and the Pope. At the time, the Magna Carta was bound to be important to British people, but a random Japanese citizen living across the globe wouldn’t care at all. I bet you that even now that very few people outside of England know much about the Magna Carta. Now that doesn’t sound incredibly significant does it? Only a handful of people in the world at the time cared about the Magna Carta. However, the Magna Carta is still notable and I’m about to tell you why. 

Now, how many people know about it is important in determining an events historical significance, but something that I think is just as important is how many people were affected by it. I said it before and I’ll say it again. The Magna Carta was one of the biggest steps in achieving modern democracy. For the first time, it was written in a document that the king was held accountable by the law, that every man deserved a fair and just trial, that the royals governments power was limited, and that no man can be unfairly imprisoned. Of the 63 original clauses in the Magna Carta, 4 are still in effect in England today. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but many of the clauses were concerned with now outdated feudal laws and polices. The Magna Carta set the foundations for the judicial system that can be seen in many countries today. If thats not notable I don’t know what is. 

Now lets see how consequential the Magna Carta was. I did say before that the Magna Carta was a British concern at the time. This is not the case today. Many countries have based their own constitutions on the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta can be seen the most in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the United States Declaration of Independence, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, and even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even the United Nations have created clauses that are heavily influenced by the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was a big step in creating modern democracy and even parliament. For the first time, monarchs did not have all the power. The King was not sent by God and he was not entitled to do anything he wanted. Without the Magna Carta, there would be no such thing as a constitutional monarchy. It was also the first time that it was stated that people had rights. Now in the original document it does not include women which is reflective of the time period, but the Magna Carta was still such a huge step to achieving rights for men and women. 

Finally, lets talk about how symbolic the Magna Carta is. When historians are looking at how symbolic an event is they look at 2 things. How it has been memorialized and how it represents a historical issue or trend. The Magna Carta has been memorialized multiple times in the countries it has most affected. In total there are 13-17 copies of the Magna Carta. I have personally seen a copy of the original Magna Carta from 1215 at the British Library in London. There are copies around England, and replicas in Canada, the United States, and an original of the 1297 Magna Carta is in Australia. India has recognized Magna Carta as a significant document in their constitution, and Mahatma Gandhi has referenced the document in his speeches. As I said before the Magna Carta represents the idea that the monarch does not hold unlimited power, that they too are bound by the law. It also can be viewed as the start of the idea that all human deserve rights. 

The Magna Carta has affected and still affects people across the world by introducing the idea of human rights and monarchs bound by law. It has influenced numerous of countries’ constitutions and governments by being the foundation of democracy and parliament today. It is memorialized in over 5 countries around the world, and has been mentioned in global charters by the UN. That sounds incredibly significant to me. I think there is one final thing we need to determine in order to say that the Magna Carta is historically significant. Did the Magna Carta change the course of human history? My answer is yes. It has been so impactful to so many countries that it cannot be ignored. I don’t think that democracy today would be the same without the ideas that the Magna Carta introduced to the world. The Magna Carta was essential in creating the world we live in today. The Magna Carta is historically significant.