The idea that the modal experience of residents of Magna Carta-era England (that was long before "Britain" could be said to correspond to any political entity)

The idea that the modal experience of residents of Magna Carta-era England (that was long before "Britain" could be said to correspond to any political entity) was anything approaching "freedom" is laughable. Peasants were peasants everywhere, and the main determinant of their well being and freedom was whether there was a natural disaster recently and, to a lesser extent, technological development. Hunter gatherers and nomadic societies were more free. Probably the Highlanders of Scotland experienced a lot more "freedom" than anyone governed by the Magna Carta. Though that ended with the British government's campaigns to subjugate the region in the wake of the Jacobite rebellion.