How did the Magna Carta influence Sir Edward Coke’s ideas in the Petition of Right?

Sir Edward Coke, a prominent English jurist, drew heavily upon the Magna Carta to shape the principles of the Petition of Right in 1628.

Coke viewed the Magna Carta as a foundational document that established the rule of law by subjecting the sovereign to legal constraints. When King Charles I began imposing forced loans and imprisoning those who refused to pay, Parliament—guided by Coke—argued that these actions violated the spirit of the Great Charter. Specifically, Coke utilized the Magna Carta’s protections to assert that the monarch could not levy taxes without common consent or imprison free men without cause.1

By fashioning the Petition of Right from these ancient precedents, Coke sought to reclaim the liberties of Parliament and the rights of subjects against the expansion of royal prerogative. His work effectively positioned the Petition of Right as a constitutional successor to the Magna Carta, reinforcing the principle that the crown must remain subordinate to the law.12