So if it isn't exactly the birth certificate of democracy, it is the death certificate of despotism. It spells out, for the first time, the fundamental principle for the law is not simply the will or the whim of the King. The law is an independent power unto itself, and the King could be brought to book for violating it. None of this was apparent right away. Ten weeks after Magna Carta had been signed, it was annulled by the Pope, and John went back to fight in his battles by the sword, against the rebel barons and against the first successful invasion by a King of France. For a few months in 1216, much of England was ruled by the Dauphin.


那也至少标志了专制主义的消亡，它首次阐明了一条基本原则。法律不代表国王的意志或奇想，法律独立存在，对本身负责。国王犯法与庶民同罪，但所有这些并不是理所当然。《大宪章》签署十周后，就被教皇宣布无效。约翰也带军重回战场，镇压贵族们的反叛，同时抵挡法国的首次成功入侵。1261年的几个月间，英格兰的大部分领土是由法国王太子统治。