Which document, signed in 1215, limited the power of the English monarchy and granted rights to nobles?

• A. Petition of Right
• B. Magna Carta
• C. Bill of Rights
• D. Charter of Liberties

Answer: (B)

Magna Carta introduced the idea that the king’s power was not absolute and that rulers must operate within the law. In 1215, facing a rebellion by powerful nobles, King John agreed to a charter that restricted the king’s ability to Tax without consent, protected certain legal rights, and guaranteed that at least some due process would govern the king’s actions. This established a precedent that a monarch’s decisions could be limited by agreements and by the law, a concept that gradually evolved into a constitutional framework.

Over time, Magna Carta’s legacy influenced later moves to constrain royal authority and expand rights. Documents that followed—the Petition of Right and the Bill of Rights—built on the idea that rulers are subject to legal constraints, even though they were created in different eras for different conflicts. The Charter of Liberties is an earlier attempt to limit royal power, but it predates Magna Carta and is not the same momentous pledge signed in 1215.

So the correct document is Magna Carta, because that 1215 agreement is the historical moment when the monarchy’s power began to be limited and noble rights were formally recognized, laying groundwork for the broader rule of law in England.