King Henry III, a mere nine-year-old boy, sits on the throne, but the real power lies with William Marshall, the 1st Earl of Pembroke, who holds the reins as regent. Together, they take a monumental step in reining in the erosion of rights that had been slowly creeping in since King William's reign. The Charter of the Forest, sealed at St Paul's Cathedral, London, marks a triumphant return of liberties to the common man, granting them access to the royal forest, a privilege that had been steadily dwindling.