Free Republic

‘The Unbearable Whiteness of Medieval Studies’ A growing concern among Medieval Studies scholars is that the field is too dominated by white, male scholars who appreciate its link to Christian values and the fact that it’s been somewhat resistant to identity politics changes seen in other humanities departments. The issue has been compounded by the concern among Medieval Studies scholars that white supremacists and the alt-right have co-opted crusade themes in memes to push for violence against Muslims and people of color. Currently some scholars are planning a “Crusades and Alt Right” symposium this October to discuss the issue, an...

England was invaded by “Dane” Vikings from Scandinavia who destroyed churches, libraries and defeated all opposition except for 23-year-old King Alfred. Forced into the swampy, tidal marshes of Somerset, Alfred, King of the Anglos and Saxons, began a resistance movement in 878 A.D. According to biographer Bishop Asser, “Alfred attacked the whole pagan army fighting ferociously in dense order, and by divine will eventually won the victory.” King Alfred’s Law is considered the basis for English Common Law as it contained concepts such as liberty of the individual family and church, a decentralized government and equal justice for all under...

June 15th is Magna Carta Day. While this doesn’t have the same cachet as Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, the history of the Magna Carta is arguably far more important. A number of the rights codified in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights find their origins in the Magna Carta. The charter was drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury as a way to settle tensions between the King of England and some of his barons. The Magna Carta is the foundation of the Western conception of individual liberties, particularly in the Anglosphere. It is also one of the most...

The trial of Austrian anti-Sharia activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff for “denigrating” Islam has major implications for free speech in Europe. (Also read Michael Ledeen: "Islamophobia") The “hate speech” trial of the Austrian housewife and anti-Islam activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff resumed at a Vienna courthouse on January 18, following a two-month break in the hearings. Sabaditsch-Wolff, who has been charged with “incitement of hatred” and “denigrating religious teachings” after giving a series of seminars about the dangers of radical Islam, faces a possible three year prison sentence. Her case, which is eerily similar to the one involving the Dutch politician Geert Wilders,...

Just an excerpt: “A society without religion cannot prosper. A nation without faith cannot endure — because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the grace of God. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 29, 2020, as the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. I invite the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches and customary places of meeting with appropriate ceremonies...

Magna Carta (English: Great Charter) charter of English liberties granted by King John on June 15, 1215, under threat of civil war and reissued, with alterations, in 1216, 1217, and 1225. By declaring the sovereign to be subject to the rule of law and documenting the liberties held by “free men,” the Magna Carta provided the foundation for individual rights in Anglo-American jurisprudence. With his conquest of England in 1066, William I secured for himself and his immediate successors a position of unprecedented power. He was able to dominate not only the country but also the barons who had helped...

'No absolute religious freedom since Henry VIII' LONDON (ChurchMilitant.com) - Protestant England never enjoyed absolute religious freedom since Henry VIII broke with Rome, a top evangelical leader is conceding, as 25 Christian leaders — including a Catholic theologian — challenge the churches' lockdown as a breach of the Magna Carta. Church leaders who have launched a judicial review of the lockdown are contending that the state criminalized Sunday worship for the first time in centuries — despite the government allowing churches to reopen July 4 under strict guidelines. Churches should never have been shut in the first place and "this...

England was invaded by "Dane" Vikings from Scandinavia who destroyed churches, libraries and defeated all opposition except for 23-year-old King Alfred. Forced into the swampy, tidal marshes of Somerset, Alfred, King of the Anglos and Saxons, began a resistance movement in 878 AD. According to biographer Bishop Asser: "Alfred attacked the whole pagan army fighting ferociously in dense order, and by divine will eventually won the victory." King Alfred's battle song was: "When the enemy comes in a'roarin' like a flood, Coveting the kingdom and hungering for blood,  The Lord will raise a standard up and lead His people...

President Trump deserves enormous credit for his exceptional commitment to free speech at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France. Foreign leaders, like our own illiberal, liberal activists, are chomping at the bit to introduce ever more online censorship. At the G7, European leaders introduced a measure that would have drafted tech companies into the role of government censors, forcing them to police online content and remove anything that bureaucrats deem to be insensitive. Emmanuel Macron struggled in vain to conceal his disappointment as he announced that the United States had refused to sign on to his pet G7 compact, which...

An American tourist who tackled a knife-wielding thief trying to steal a £20million Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral has spoken about his heroics. Matt Delacambre managed to hold onto the hooded man until security were able to arrive and apprehend the suspect. The 56-year-old said: 'I couldn't let him get away with it. The Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in the world.'

A man has been arrested on suspicion of trying to steal a Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral. Wiltshire police said the 45-year-old was arrested on Thursday after alarms were triggered by an attempt to smash the glass box in which the artefact was displayed. A man matching witnesses’ descriptions was arrested on suspicion of attempted theft, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage. Police said he remained in custody. The document was not damaged in the incident. Magna Carta, one of the most significant documents in British history, is a peace treaty that was sealed by King John in...

[snip] ROBINSON: I say a thank you to the Middle East Forum, a thank you to Congressman Gosar, a thank you to Ambassador Brownback, people -- thank you to yourself, Tucker, people who come out -- because we know that in this country, anyone who speaks about Islam -- you can believe -- you can be a complete liberal, the minute you mention, criticize Islam, you are deigned and attacked by everybody. “All I’d done was read a BBC news article, a BBC news article that is still online now for millions of people to see. And I was taken...

The Magna Carta (the "Great Charter"), the basis of the thesis that leaders are not above the law, the beginning of the path from absolute monarchy to the rule of law, and an important foundation of our Anglo-Saxon liberties, was signed on June 15, 1215 by England's King John at Runnymede, south of London. John, the youngest son of Henry II, reigned from 1199 to 1216 and aroused fierce opposition in both the nobility and the church for his high-handed authoritarianism. The resulting bloodless rebellion ended when John - under compulsion - signed the Great Charter, drafted in Latin by...

According to a left-wing website, The Nation, the president is circulating a draft of an executive order on religious liberty that will bring civil rights protections for Christians into the 21st century. Its stated purpose is "to guide the executive branch in formulating and implementing policies with implications for the religious freedom of persons and organizations in America." Christian organizations include even "closely held for-profit corporations, operated for a religious purpose, even if its purpose is not exclusively religious." It is a perfectly appropriate executive order because it is a directive from the head of the executive branch, the president,...

The original Magna Carta was a charter agreed to by King John of England in 1215. It just celebrated its 801st anniversary. So no, I wasn’t there. But that charter has become part of an important, iconic, political myth that the deal between an unpopular king and rebellious barons marked the beginning of individual English freedoms, personal liberties, and due-process protection of individuals under the law. Magna Carta has also been cited as providing the essential foundation for the contemporary powers of Parliament and legal principles such as habeas corpus.

The Magna Carta, the basis of the thesis that leaders are not above the law, the beginning of the path from absolute monarchy to the rule of law, and an important foundation of our Anglo-Saxon liberties, was signed on June 15, 1215.

THE MYTH OF MAGNA CARTAby Edward Jenks "MAGNA CARTA is then the first corporate act of the nation roused to the sense of its unity." "The nation in general, the people of the towns and villages, the commons of later days . . . had now thrown themselves on the side of the barons." "The people . . . for the first time since the Conquest ranged themselves on the side of the barons against the king." These are the words, clear and unmistakeable, of a writer to whom every student of English history owes an incalculable debt, who combines...

October 7, 2015 – 6:30 p.m. Delaware Supreme Court Justice Randy J. Holland will speak at the Delaware Public Archives on Wednesday evening, Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m., on the topic of the 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta, the so-called Great Charter of 1215, which serves as the foundation for both the British and American systems of government. Justice Holland is the editor of the book, Magna Carta, Muse and Mentor, published in 2014 by the Library of Congress and Thomson Reuters to commemorate the anniversary. Among the book’s authors are Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Justice Sandra Day O’Connor...

The details surrounding the Magna Carta are often overlooked, but it remains a revered document. Author David Starkey explained the importance of the Magna Carta while promoting his latest book, Magna Carta: The Medieval Roots of Modern Politics, at the libertarian think tank Cato Institute. Starkey is also a BBC Radio and TV presenter. For openers, there is the reason why the Magna Carta was negotiated at Runnymede Fields. The English barons and King John selected that spot “because it was a bog,” said Starkey, “The place is moist, wet ground. It is a water meadow, so it is a...

Eight hundred years ago, one of the world's most important documents was born. Issued by King John of England in 1215, the Magna Carta ("Great Charter") acknowledged the rights of citizens and set restrictions on the power of the king. The Magna Carta has influenced the structures of modern democracies, including the writ of habeas corpus of the U.S. Constitution... According to Treharne, her research suggests the Salisbury Magna Carta was not just received and preserved at Salisbury, but that the Salisbury Magna Carta was written at Salisbury by one of the cathedral's own scribes. She recently co-published her findings...