《大宪章》的历史底蕴及其对英国封建君主政治的影响

Magna Carta:Historic Value and Influences over English Feudal Politics of Monarchy

《大宪章》是英国封建王权与贵族、教会矛盾冲突的必然产物。无论是表述话语、思想框架还是权益诉求上,《大宪章》都彰显了那个时代固有的封建性。《大宪章》条款的主体部分,乃是要将君主肆意独裁所跨越的封建权益边界厘定下来,恢复贵族、教会的传统特权。同时,其中对城市特权的承诺及其一些模糊的表述,也为后人的解读提供了宽泛的想象空间。在其颁布后的数个世纪中,《大宪章》不断被确认,在一定程度上限制了王权。但另一方面,《大宪章》又不断遭到王权的践踏,直至在都铎"新君主制"扼制下处于"沉潜"状态。只是到了17世纪初,随着社会政治现实的变动,《大宪章》才被赋予了"自由""权利""法治"等"现代性"思想内核,并为19世纪后期勃兴的"辉格诠释模式"加以阐扬,但这一将现实与历史机械对接的做法在西方史学界不断遭到质疑。由此,如何解读《大宪章》的历史底蕴及其政治影响,应该引起中国史学界的重视。

Magna Carta was an inevitable outcome of the conflict between the English feudal monarchy and nobility,along with the church. It demonstrated feudalism of medieval England in its expressions,ideologies and appealing interests. Its main terms were to determine the boundary of the feudal rights and interests that the king had crossed with his arbitrary rule,and restore the old privilege enjoyed by the nobles and the church. Meanwhile,its promises and some vague statements on the cities＇ rights and liberties gave people broad space for imaginary interpretation in the following centuries. It was reconfirmed repeatedly over the next few centuries and indeed brought limits to the monarch. But it was also being oppressed by the monarch until it went into dormant under the restriction of the ＂New Monarch＂of the Tudor period. It was not until the seventeenth century did Magna Carta resumed its energy by being related with some ＂modern＂ideas such as ＂freedom＂,＂rights＂,＂governed by law＂,etc.,and later being praised with the nineteenth century ＂Whig interpretation ＂. However, such understandings were now considered an abrupt connection relating the present and the past,and thus being questioned by the Western historians. The question of how to interpret Magna Carta＇s historic value and political influences should raise great attention of the Chinese historians.