But the immediate advantage of having the Pope for his protector seemed considerable.

"For when once he had put himself under apostolical protection and made his realms a part of the patrimony of St.Peter, there was not in the Roman world a sovereign who durst attack him or would invade his lands, in such awe was Pope Innocent held above all his predecessors for many years past."[10] Stephen landed in June, 1213, and at Winchester John was formally absolved and the coronation oaths were renewed.

It was very soon seen what manner of man the Archbishop was.

In August a great gathering of the barons took place in St.Paul's, and there Langton recited the coronation charter of Henry I., and told all those assembled that these rights and liberties were to be recovered; and "the barons swore they would fight for these liberties, even unto death if it were needful, and the Archbishop promised that he would help with all his might." The weakness of the barons hitherto had been their want of cohesion, their endless personal feuds, and the lack of any feeling of national responsibility.

Langton laboured to create a national party and to win recognition of law and justice for all in England; and the Great Charter was the issue of his work.
The state of things was intolerable.