Magna Carta - one of the most important documents from the medieval period. It’s still held up as a totem of democracy even in today’s turbulent world. But why did Magna Carta get written and sealed in the first place?

In the first of two episodes, Prof. Michael Livingston heads to France to explore the sometimes forgotten continental side to the Magna Carta story, where he investigates the devastating loss of King John's lands in France and defeat at the Battle of Bouvines. In the second episode, Dan Snow picks up the story in one of the most turbulent years in English history, 1215, and uncovers the events which led up to Magna Carta's signing at Runnymede.

Visiting the places where history was made, examining the documents that tell the story, and speaking to word-leading experts, Dan finds the answers to burning questions: how was King John brought to his knees? What did the rebel barons want? And why is Magna Carta still remembered to this day?