Vocabulary
the Magna Carta – Хартия Вольностей
to be issued – быть изданным
to satisfy complaints – удовлетворять жалобы
to seal – скреплять печатью
to overthrow the monarchy – свергать монархию
in an attempt – в попытке
abuses of power – злоупотребление
властью
jury trial – суд присяжных
private property – частная собственность
apparent – видимый, очевидный
medieval period – эпоха средневековья
bound by the law – связанный законом
protracted historical process – продолжительный исторический процесс
merchant – купец, торговец
5. Choose the correct answer.
1. Which one of the following was the main goal of the barons in forcing King John to agree to the Magna Carta in 1215?
a. to establish freedom for all Englishmen b. to force King John to correct numerous abuses against the barons
c. to overthrow King John
2. Which one of the following was the main goal of King John in agreeing to sign the Magna Carta?
a. to regain the allegiance of the rebel barons b. to establish a bill of rights for free men c. to increase his popularity among the common people
3. Historians say that the Magna Carta is more important than the sum of its parts. Which one of the following statements best explains this viewpoint?
a. All 63 chapters of the Magna Carta are not as important as the fact that King John accepted the rule of law over his personal will. b. Most of the provisions of the Magna Carta relate to free men. c. Magna Carta is England’s Constitution.
4. “A free man shall not be amerced for a trivial offense except in accordance with the degree of the offense, and for a grave offense he shall be amerced in accordance with its gravity . . . .” Which one of the following statements best explains the provision of the Magna Carta quoted above?
a. Free men should not be punished for minor offenses. b. Let the punishment fit the crime. c. All lawbreakers should be harshly punished.
5. Which one of the following statements about the Magna Carta is not a fact but an opinion? a. Magna Carta limited the power of the king. b. Some of the ideas in the Magna Carta were later included in US Constitution. c. The Magna Carta is the greatest statement for liberty written in the English language.
6. Read the text and answer these questions.
What is the Petition of Right?
2. What did the Petition of right demand?
The Petition
of Right is
a major English constitutional document that sets out specific
liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from
infringing. It was passed in June 1628.
The Petition contains restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and restricts the use of martial law.
Historians have traditionally considered the passage of the Petition of Right an important moment in the Stuart period. The English Parliament under the Stuart monarchs was at the centre of politics as never before. It established itself in practice as the ultimate political authority in the country. Its debates and actions of the period remain at the heart of British constitutional and legal ideas.
Despite debates over its legal status, the Petition of Right was highly influential. Domestically, the Petition is seen as “one of England’s most famous constitutional documents”, of equal value to the Magna Carta and Bill of Rights.