The Edict of Milan was a very important document in the history of Christianity. It was a proclamation within the Roman Empire that established religious tolerance for Christianity. It was the outcome of a political agreement between the Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius in February 313. The proclamation granted all persons freedom to worship whatever deity they pleased. It gave Christians many legal rights including the right to organize churches, and ordered the prompt return of confiscated property back to the Christians. This edict also made the Empire officially neutral with regard to religious worship; it neither made paganism illegal nor made Christianity the state religion.
Magna Carta
In 1215, King John,
faced with the possibility of revolt and civil war, agreed to the demands of his Barons and granted the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was the first document of its kind in that it bound not only the king's subjects, but the king and all of his heirs as well, to the laws of the land. The Magna Carta made it such that no man was above the law. Under the Magna Carta, the Church was to be free from royal interference, especially in the selection of bishops. No taxes except the regular feudal dues were to be levied, except by the consent of the Great Council, or Parliament. Everyone had the right to due process of law, which led to trial by jury. Lastly all weights and measures were to be kept uniform throughout the realm.
Dutch Declaration of Independence
The Dutch Declaration of Independence was signed on July 26, 1581. It was formally called the Act of Abjuration. A group of Dutch provinces in the northern portion of the federation called the United Provinces issued the declaration to pronounce their independence from Spanish rule under King Philip II.