John's reign may be regarded as a turning point in English history.
1. Through the loss of Normandy, the Norman nobility found it for
their interest to make the welfare of England and of the English race
one with their own. Thus the two peoples became more and more united,
until finally all differences ceased.
2. In demanding and obtainign the Great Charter, the Church and the
nobility made common cause with all classes of the people. That
document represents the victory of the entire nation. We shall see
that the next eighty years will be mainly taken up with the efforts of
the nation to hold fast to what it had gained.