Stephen+Langton

=Stephen Langton=

Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, led a tumultuous and highly influential political career in the early Thirteenth Century. Apart from the conflict caused by his election to the archbishropic, Langton is best known for his role in establishing the political environment needed for the establishment of the [|Magna Carta], as well as his direct influence on the charter's contents. He is justly remembered as playing an integral role in history and the development of Western legal and political traditions.

==Early life and election to archbishropic==

Langton was born in England around 1150. He was educated in Paris, and there went on to become well-regarded as a teacher and prolific theologian. Having thus established connections with Loratio dei Conti (later to become Pope Innocent III) Langton was elected Archbishop of Canterbury in 1205 after Innocent quashed conflicting nominations by the monks of Christ Church and King John of England. Outraged by what he saw as a deliberately provocative manoeuvre, John refused Langton entry into England and exiled the clergymen who had opposed his candidate. Innocent responded by placing England under interdict, and later excommunicated the king. Pressured by the threats of baronial rebellion and French invasion, John eventually backed down and Langton returned to England to fulfil his role in 1213.

==Political career==

Acting under papal directions to negotiate peace between the kings and his discontented barons, Langton became a central mediator in their escalating disputes. He worked indefatigably to promote a compromise, and succeeded in persuading John to start making minor concessions. Langton became increasingly sympathetic to the barons' cause, and provided the organisation and political clout necessary for them to assert their claims. He assisted in formulating and drafting a list of demands which would later be distilled into the Magna Carta. John signed the charter in 1215, but later appealed to the pope to be released from his oath on the grounds of duress. Innocent assented, invalidating the Magna Carta and ordering Langton to excommunicate the barons involved. Because Langton refused to do so, he was suspended from his office and recalled to Rome, only to be reinstated by Innocent's successor in 1222. The Magna Carta was finally confirmed in 1225, and Langton spent his last years in Canterbury providing guidance to the young King Henry III. He died in 1228.

Contribuion to the Magna Carta
At least two articles of the Magna Carta appear to have been directly influenced by Langton’s theological teachings. [|Article One] protects the rights of the English church and grants “all freemen of our kingdom...all the underwritten liberties.” These demands have resonance in Langton’s concern for practical interactions between the church and secular world, and his broad concept of the church as including not only the clergy but all lay Christians. [|Article 39] states that “no freeman shall be taken or imprisoned...except by the lawful judgement of his peers.” This demand is also linked to Langton’s teachings, which held that one should not obey an immoral prince unless the issue was judicially arbitrated. Langton is therefore considered the facilitator of the notion of due process in the Magna Carta, a legal doctrine which continues to underpin the Western legal systems of today.