What did the Magna Carta require before a free man could be punished?

Under the 1215 Magna Carta, no free man could be arrested, imprisoned, disseised, outlawed, exiled, or victimized except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.1

This requirement, famously articulated in clause 39, established a foundational principle of due process in jurisprudence, ensuring that the sovereign is subject to the rule of law. By mandating that punishment must follow established legal procedures rather than arbitrary royal decree, the charter became a vital defense against tyranny and a cornerstone for individual rights in the English-speaking world.231