Which historic document is credited with establishing the principle that everyone, including the ruler, is subject to the law?

• A. Magna Carta
• B. English Bill of Rights
• C. U.S. Constitution
• D. Petition of Right

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that those in power are not above the law. Magna Carta, signed in 1215, is the foundational document that first forced the king to operate under legal constraints. It established that the ruler’s actions were subject to the law, protected certain legal procedures, and limited abuses like arbitrary imprisonment and taxation without consent. This introduced the concept of due process and the principle that everyone, including the monarch, must follow established laws.

Other documents later expanded and reinforced these ideas. The Petition of Right pressed further against royal prerogative, the English Bill of Rights codified liberties after the Glorious Revolution, and the U.S. Constitution enshrined the rule of law in a written framework with checks and balances. But Magna Carta is the earliest, most direct source of the idea that the ruler is bound by the law.