A century earlier, Henry I, by issuing a Coronation Charter, had indicated that he would be more respectful of the nobles’ privileges than was his predecessor. But Henry’s successors soon returned to the arbitrary ways of kings in those times.
大宪章不是英格兰王授权的第一份宪章。一个世纪前，亨利一世颁布加冕宪章（Coronation Charter），以示其将比前任更加尊重贵族特权。但亨利的继任者很快又回到了国王专断的老路上。