On May 12th, 1215, English barons rose in rebellion against their king, the John made famous by Robin Hood legends and “The Lion in Winter.” Rebellions against English kings happened all the time, but this was the first occurrence involving a pursuit of artistocratic rights in general rather than putting a new claimant on the throne. When the dust cleared and the bodies were counted, King John had signed the Magna Carta, an agreement between the king and his barons about the rights and responsibilities of either party. While no one without a title benefited from the Magna Carta at the time, it was an important step on the road to the American Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.