The most famous document of British constitutional history, proclaimed (1215) by King John at Runnymede. He did this under threat by the barons. This document would insure feudal rights and to make sure that the king could not interfer with baronial privileges. The document gave freedom to the church, implied laws protecting the rights of subjects and communities, which the king could be bound to observe. Habeas Corpus (protect against illegal imprisonment) later came from this document. At John's death (1216), the charter was rewritten with major changes. Hundreds of years later, British lawmakers portrayed it as a democratic document, but in the 19th century some scholars maintained that it just gave some rights to people and nothing more. There are four exact copies of the original and one is in the archives in Washington.