Do you think any of the onlookers at the Magna Carta signing actually thought it would be celebrated eight centuries later? Like did any watching peasants have a debate?
Steve the Peasant
Dude they’re signing that peace treaty so we won’t have to pay stupid taxes and the barons can’t get away with everything.
Jimmy the Peasant
Yeah we can’t even read that, it’s in Latin. And it only applies to free men. Which we aren’t. And it says women can’t accuse men of murder and I, personally, see that as sexist.
Steve the Peasant
Dude it’s a start. Maybe future generations will polish it up, take out the stupid bits and use it as a foundation for declarations of independence or bills for human rights!
Jimmy the Peasant
Whatever, man, we still have to pay our fucking taxes.
They head off to herd cattle and fight dysentery.
Should’ve placed our bets with Steve, huh. Although it really didn’t let women accuse men of murder… it wasn’t much of a peace treaty either.
Still, I like to think they had no clue at all that a cramped, slightly ugly, almost completely incomprehensible peace-treaty-that-wasn’t would be remembered as the start of something wonderful… or as something less shit than a megalomaniac king and war-funding taxes, anyway.
Happy Monday!
PS check out that link and the video about half way down. It reminded me why history is brilliant if you let filmmakers get hold of it.
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