What is the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215?

• A. Interdict
• B. Primogeniture
• C. Inquisition
• D. Magna Carta

Answer: (D)

At the heart of this question is the idea that a ruler’s power can be checked by a formal agreement that guarantees rights and legal procedures. Magna Carta, sealed in 1215 at Runnymede after the barons’ rebellion against King John, did exactly that. It limited the king’s ability to levy taxes and imprison people arbitrarily, stating that free men could not be punished without lawful judgment and that certain liberties and property rights would be respected. While it began as a bargaining chip for the nobility, it established the enduring principle that the king operates under the law, a concept that influenced later constitutional developments. The other terms don’t fit because an interdict is a church sanction, primogeniture is about inheritance by the first-born, and an inquisition is an inquiry or investigation—none describe a royal charter of political rights.