Nullus liber homo capiatur clause

E14279

The Nullus liber homo capiatur clause is a foundational provision of Magna Carta that established the principle that no free person could be imprisoned or punished without lawful judgment or due process.


Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf clause of Magna Carta
legal principle
alsoKnownAs due process clause of Magna Carta
lawful judgment clause
appliesTo free men in medieval England
assertsRequirement lawful judgment of peers or law of the land before punishment
clauseNumber 39
codifiedIn subsequent reissues of Magna Carta
dateOfOrigin 1215
hasKeyTerm legale judicium parium suorum (lawful judgment of his peers)
lex terrae (law of the land)
liber homo (free man)
hasLanguage Nullus liber homo capiatur
hasPrinciple government bound by law
judgment by peers
no imprisonment without lawful judgment
no punishment without law
historicalContext baronial revolt of early 13th century
reign of King John of England
influenced United States constitutional law
concept of fair trial
development of due process in English law
habeas corpus jurisprudence
influencedBy customary feudal law
jurisdiction Kingdom of England
legacy foundation for modern human rights protections
symbol of constitutional liberty
legalConcept due process of law
lawful judgment of peers
protection from arbitrary detention
rule of law
locatedInDocument Magna Carta
surface form: Magna Carta of 1215
originalLanguage Latin
originalText Nullus liber homo capiatur, vel imprisonetur, aut disseisiatur, aut utlagetur, aut exuletur, aut aliquo modo destruatur, nec super eum ibimus, nec super eum mittemus, nisi per legale judicium parium suorum vel per legem terrae.
partOf Magna Carta
prohibits destruction of a person’s rights or property without lawful judgment
exile without lawful judgment
imprisonment without lawful judgment
seizure without lawful judgment
relatedConcept habeas corpus
law of the land
prohibition of arbitrary royal power
trial by jury
subjectMatter limits on sovereign power
personal liberty
procedural safeguards in criminal process
translation No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or in any way ruined, nor will we proceed against him or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Clause 39 historicalName Nullus liber homo capiatur clause