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Sep 30, 2025 47 min

Magna Carta

from Dan Snow's History Hit Hosted by BHY

Dan and leading medieval historians explain everything you need to know about Magna Carta...and the story is more dramatic than you might think. Magna Carta sprang from an England on the brink of civil war; the feeble king John left grappling for control after a disastrous defeat in France in the early 13th century and a baron's rebellion in England. It was forged at a standoff on the banks of the Thames in 1215 and still provides the basis of law for most of the English-speaking world today. With thanks to Dr Michael Livingston, Dan Jones and Dr Jess Nelson. This episode was produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore with additional production from Mark Edger. Click here to listen to Dan's explainer on William the Marshal.Click here to listen to Dan's explainer on Richard the Lionheart. You can sign up to watch Dan and Dr Michael Livingston's documentary series on Magna Carta on https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on. You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected].

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Magna Carta

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How long is this episode of Dan Snow's History Hit?

This episode is 47 minutes long.

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This episode was published on September 30, 2025.

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