Beginning the survey of the year 1215 with some context; Europe in the 13th century experiences a period of climate warming that leads to a population boom; in Asia, the Mongols find their ages-old way of life threatened by these same changes.

What history buffs know about the Magna Carta; pondering what is in the document; why it is created in the first place; discovering the narrowly focused origins of a short-lived document that seems, at the time, like a minor footnote in history.

If one asks anyone in 1215 what the most important event of the year is, most people in Europe will cite the Fourth Lateran Council; Professor Armstrong surveys the history of Christianity; the events leading up to this pivotal ecclesiastical event.