In clause 12, the king is restricted in the types of taxes he can impose without approval of the Great Council (a group made up of the nobles). This restricted his ability to raise taxes for wars. This had been the main concern of the nobles in the years preceding the document, because taxes had been raised to fund a war against France. The nobility benefited because the Magna Carta defined individual rights and emphasized the role of laws in society. Clause 39 states, for example, that people should be punished only after a ruling by their peers (similar to the idea of a jury trial) or by the sanctions of the law. Also, the phrase "no free man" implies that all people should be treated equally under the law. By emphasizing this ideal, the Magna Carta restricted the king’s ability to punish his subjects.