The journey from downtrodden serfs with no rights to modern democracy (let's not get into the effectiveness of that here) has been a long one — forged in no small part in London.
As we already pointed out, it's been 800 years since the sealing of the Magna Carta — it's also 750 years since the De Montfort Parliament, widely regarded as the first English parliament.
Since these important moments in history, increasing numbers of people have been given a voice. From the Poor Law of 1601, through The Putney Debates and the Catholic Emancipation Act, to the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807, the People's Charter, and the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995, we've arrived at today's governing system as we know it.
Key moments from the nation's political development have been commemorated at a special exhibition in Westminster Hall — the oldest building on the parliamentary estate. Nine artists have created 5m long wall banners, each one reflecting a momentous occasion.
We spoke to three of the artists involved in creating the banners, about what inspired them and how they created the huge pieces of work. You can hear from them in this video:
If you can't get along to Westminster, you can see a gallery of the banners on the exhibition website.
