King John's people did not like him very much. They wanted to limit his power, so they made the Magna Carta, which limited the king's power. One thing that it did was that it made the king have to obey the law, just like all of the nobles, vassals, and peasants under him. Formerly, he was above the law. Of course, no king would ever agree to this, and King John was no different. The only problem was the threat of a civil war. Therefore, he was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.