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    The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter
    The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter
    The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter
    Ebook80 pages58 minutes

    The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter

    By Ann Marie Thomas

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    About this ebook

    Did you know that King John didn't sign the Magna Carta? He sealed it. Did you know that the rebel barons offered the English throne to Prince Louis of France? If John hadn't died, the British Isles might be part of France today. Did you know that Magna Carta was only in force for a few weeks? So why is the Great Charter considered to be the dawn of democracy? Find out in The Magna Carta Story, the layman's guide. It contains all the intrigue, tantrums and civil war, what happened afterwards, and why it's so important.

    Amazon Reviews:
    1. Really comprehensive - good balance of information between Magna Carta and King John's reign. I enjoyed reading this as the way in which it has been written ensured good pace and helped maintain my interest throughout. Having completed this book which has helped me gain a good understanding of the history of the Magna Carta I am now ready to move onto something a bit more dense.
    2. This book covers a brief part of history but an important one and it would be easy to make hard work of telling it. In fact it's a relief to read a history book that is written in an easy to follow style. It is indeed a proper layman's guide with enough story to keep me reading without massive amounts of side-tracking incidental information that some books make you wade through. Very interesting and surprising opinions about John himself being bipolar.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAnn Marie Thomas
    Release dateMay 9, 2017
    ISBN9780957198845
    The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter
    Author

    Ann Marie Thomas

    Writing poetry and making up stories since I was a child, I only started to write seriously when my children were grown. My main ambition is to write science fiction, but along the way I got fascinated by local history and distracted by a major stroke. I wrote poetry about my stroke and spent my recovery writing a local history book. Taking early retirement gave me the chance to concentrate on my writing. I have been married for over 45 years, with 4 grown children and 8 grandchildren.I had already written up my research into the de Braose family before my stroke, but the long hours in hospital gave me time to think about it in detail. Once I came home, rather than sitting doing nothing, I rewrote the book, and taught myself to format and publish in both ebook and print. My husband contacted the art department of the local university, who helped me find a wonderful artist to illustrate my books.Alina, The White Lady of Oystermouth came out as an ebook and in print for the locals and the tourist market at Easter 2012 and it's success gave me the impetus to write another, Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John, which came out in September 2013.The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015 led me to adapt and enlarge my Broken Reed book and produce The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter. This came out in May 2015.During my research I found other fascinating stories which are not long enough for a book, so I collected them together into Medieval Gower Stories, published in October 2017.I am now working on another great story from Gower medieval history: Swansea Miracle.When I was in hospital I wrote a flood of poetry, about my stroke, my therapy, my faith, and random things like the rain outside my window. I have now published them as an ebook and print, My Stroke of Inspiration. 22 poems in all: verse, doggerel, and blank verse. The poems talk about suffering and patience, therapy and faith, and are surprisingly cheerful. If you are a stroke survivor or know someone who is, or just enjoy poetry, these poems will comfort, encourage and inspire you.There is also a Christian non fiction book, Blinded by the Light, warning of the traps Christians can fall into, published in February 2020.I continue to work on my recovery from the stroke, and although I am disabled I lead a very busy life. I am involved in my church and active on social media. I am still writing science fiction, a series called Flight of the Kestrel, about the adventures of the crew of the Fast-Response spaceship the Kestrel. The first book in the series - Intruders - was published in April 2016, and the second - Alien Secrets - was published in October 2017. The third - Crisis of Conscience - was published in June 2021. Watch out for book 4 Planet Fall.

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      Book preview

      The Magna Carta Story - Ann Marie Thomas

      The Magna Carta Story

      The Layman’s Guide to the Great Charter

      Ann Marie Thomas

      Cover Illustration by Carrie Francis

      designed by Brynymor Digital Press http://digipress.co.uk/

      Illustrations by Carrie Francis

      Published by Alina Publishing

      Copyright 2015 Ann Marie Thomas

      Ann Marie Thomas has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

      ISBN 978-0-9571988-8-3

      This book is also available in print ISBN 978-0-9571988-9-0

      Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      ****

      Contents

      Introduction

      Illustration: King John signing Magna Carta [Wikimedia]

      Chapter 1: King John's Background

      Illustrations: King John & the Angevin Empire, both by Carrie Francis

      Chapter 2: The Pope and the Prophet

      Illustration: Pope Innocent III [Wikimedia]

      Chapter 3: The Rise and Fall of William III de Braose

      Illustration: Oystermouth Castle by Carrie Francis

      Chapter 4: Suspicion and Coercion

      Illustration: The lion of England and the dove of peace by Carrie Francis

      Chapter 5: Magna Carta

      Illustration: A later version of Magna Carta [Wikimedia]

      Chapter 6: What Did Magna Carta Say?

      Illustration: The barons' demands by Carrie Francis

      Chapter 7: Civil War

      Illustrations: Battle on a bridge by Carrie Francis, Map of The Wash [Wikimedia]

      Chapter 8: King Henry III and Magna Carta

      Illustration: King John and King Henry III [Wikimedia]

      Conclusion

      Illustration: Broken Coronet by Carrie Francis

      About the Author

      Bibliography

      Appendix: Translation of Magna Carta from the British Library website

      F

      REE BOOK!

      Join Ann Marie’s mailing list and receive this free book and monthly updates http://eepurl.com/bbOsyz

      Praise for this and other history books:

      Ann Marie Thomas has collected together the back story of this tragic figure from Swansea's past. A fascinating account of what really happened in a local landmark many, many years ago... (Swansea Life magazine)

      Though this piece of writing is based on facts, I couldn't help sense a bit of a storyline. Sometimes non fiction can get too caught up in story telling that the underlying facts are put on the backbench but I must stress that while there is an interesting storyline to this piece, the emphasis is on the facts - which is needed in any good non fiction writing. It is a great short piece. The amount of information isn't overwhelming and certainly a good introduction for anybody wanting to research this particular era... it is a wonderful piece that is rich with historical information. It is in fact a great starting point for further research into this field. (Thomas Falco for Readers Favourite)

      We know King John. He upset his barons and had to sign Magna Carta. We know little more. This well-written book fills a big hole in history. It explains how their discontent was fueled by his treatment of the lords of Gower and Swansea. Betrayal and intrigues that make the doings of the Ewings pale into the shade. It is presented in an easy-to-read fashion interesting to young and old. A must-have book. (Bob Woodward)

      Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John reads as easily as any novel of political intrigue. Ann Marie Thomas has a way of telling this tale that captures the reader’s emotions and sympathies as much as it relates the facts of this transitional period in history. The well-researched facts are easy to follow and the book will quickly become a page-turner to anyone who is intrigued by the political movements of the nobles of that period. Full of intrigue and a solid piece of historical work, Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John is proof that Ann Marie Thomas has established herself in a role that blends historical fact with a knack for storytelling. (Bil Howard for Readers Favourite)

      Introduction

      June 2015 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. Over the centuries it has passed into legend as marking the dawn of democracy.

      Let me tell you a secret: At the time, it was no such thing.

      The barons had had enough of King John riding roughshod over everyone, and finally gained enough support to threaten him. He reluctantly agreed to the barons' demands and, after some negotiation, set his seal to them.

      Another secret: King John didn't sign the charter – he couldn't write, he had people to do that for him. So all the pictures like that above,

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