Latest news with #KingEdwardI
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Harvard thought it had cheap copy of the Magna Carta – it turned out to be extremely rare
Harvard University for decades assumed it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta in its collection, a stained and faded document it had bought for less than US$30. But two researchers have concluded it has something much more valuable – a rare version from 1300 issued by England's King Edward I. The original Magna Carta established in 1215 the principle that the king is subject to law, and it has formed the basis of constitutions globally. There are four copies of the original and, until now, there were believed to be only six copies of the 1300 version. 'My reaction was one of amazement and, in a way, awe that I should have managed to find a previously unknown Magna Carta,' said David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King's College London. He was searching the Harvard Law School Library website in December 2023 when he found the digitised document. 'First, I'd found one of the most rare documents and most significant documents in world constitutional history,' Carpenter said. 'But secondly, of course, it was astonishment that Harvard had been sitting on it for all these years without realising what it was.' Carpenter teamed up with Nicholas Vincent, a professor of medieval history at Britain's University of East Anglia, to confirm the authenticity of Harvard's document.
Malay Mail
15-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Bought for US$27, now priceless: Harvard's Magna Carta is a rare original
LONDON, May 15 — A 'copy' of the Magna Carta, the medieval English document that has formed the basis of constitutions around the world, owned by Harvard Law School is actually an exceedingly rare original, British researchers said today. Experts from King's College London and the University of East Anglia (UEA) said the document, which the US institution acquired in the 1940s for US$27.50, is just one of seven from King Edward I's issue of Magna Carta in 1300 that still survive. The Magna Carta is seen as a precursor of democracy and the basis of legal systems across the world as well as human rights conventions. Dating from June 1215, the Great Charter — considered one of the world's most important documents — first put into writing the principle that the king and his government were not above the law. It was a key document in the drawing up of the US Declaration of Independence and constitution. King Edward I then issued a final version of the Magna Carta with minor changes, also known as the Confirmation of the Charters, in 1300. It was a reaffirmation of the original Magna Carta signed by King John and the last full issue of the document. In 1946, the Harvard Law School Library bought what it thought was a copy for US$27.50, the equivalent of just over US$470 (RM2,015) today, according to a US Department of Labor inflation calculator. But researchers noted that its dimensions were consistent with those found in the six previously known originals, as is the handwriting, with the large capital 'E' at the start in 'Edwardus' and the elongated letters in the first line. 'This is a fantastic discovery,' said David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King's College London. 'Harvard's Magna Carta deserves celebration, not as some mere copy, stained and faded, but as an original of one of the most significant documents in world constitutional history, a cornerstone of freedoms past, present and yet to be won.' — AFP
Globe and Mail
15-05-2025
- General
- Globe and Mail
Harvard thought it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta. It turned out to be extremely rare
Harvard University for decades assumed it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta in its collection, a stained and faded document it had purchased for less than $30. But two researchers have concluded it has something much more valuable – a rare version from 1300 issued by Britain's King Edward I. The original Magna Carta established in 1215 the principle that the king is subject to law, and it has formed the basis of constitutions globally. There are four copies of the original and, until now, there were believed to be only six copies of the 1300 version. 'My reaction was one of amazement and, in a way, awe that I should have managed to find a previously unknown Magna Carta,' said David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King's College London. He was searching the Harvard Law School Library website in December 2023 when he found the digitized document. 'First, I'd found one of the most rare documents and most significant documents in world constitutional history,' Carpenter said. 'But secondly, of course, it was astonishment that Harvard had been sitting on it for all these years without realizing what it was.' Carpenter teamed up with Nicholas Vincent, a professor of medieval history at Britain's University of East Anglia, to confirm the authenticity of Harvard's document. Comparing it to the other six copies from 1300, Carpenter found the dimensions matched up. He and Vincent then turned to images Harvard librarians created using ultraviolet light and spectral imaging. The technology helps scholars see details on faded documents that are not visible to the human eye. That allowed them to compare the texts word-for-word, as well as the handwriting, which include a large capital `E' at the start in `Edwardus' and elongated letters in the first line. After the 1215 original printed by King John, five other editions were written in the following decades – until 1300, the last time the full document was set out and authorized by the king's seal. The 1300 version of Magna Carta is 'different from the previous versions in a whole series of small ways and the changes are found in every single one,' Carpenter said. Harvard had to meet a high bar to prove authenticity, Carpenter said, and it did so 'with flying colors.' Its tattered and faded copy of the Magna Carta is worth millions of dollars, Carpenter estimated – though Harvard has no plans to sell it. A 1297 version of the Magna Carta sold at auction in 2007 for $21.3-million. The other mystery behind the document was the journey it took to Harvard. That task was left to Vincent, who was able to trace it all the way back to the former parliamentary borough of Appleby in Westmorland, England. The Harvard Law School library purchased its copy in 1946 from a London book dealer for $27.50. At the time, it was wrongly dated as being made in 1327. Vincent determined the document was sent to a British auction house in 1945 by a World War I flying ace who also played a role defending Malta in World War II. The war hero, Forster Maynard, inherited the archives from Thomas and John Clarkson, who were leading campaigners against the slave trade. One of them, Thomas Clarkson, became friends with William Lowther, hereditary lord of the manor of Appleby, and he possibly gave it to Clarkson. 'There's a chain of connection there, as it were, a smoking gun, but there isn't any clear proof as yet that this is the Appleby Magna Carta. But it seems to me very likely that it is,' Vincent said. He said he would like to find a letter or other documentation showing the Magna Carta was given to Thomas Clarkson. Vincent and Carpenter plan to visit Harvard in June to see its Magna Carta firsthand – and they say the document is as relevant as ever at a time when Harvard is clashing with the Trump administration over how much authority the federal government should have over its leadership, admissions and activism on campus. 'It turns up at Harvard at precisely the moment where Harvard is under attack as a private institution by a state authority that seems to want to tell Harvard what to do,' Vincent said. It also is a chance for a new generation to learn about the Magna Carta, which played a part in the founding of the United States – from the Declaration of Independence to the adoption of the Bill of Rights. Seventeen states have incorporated aspects of it into their laws. 'We think of law libraries as places where people can come and understand the underpinnings of democracy,' said Amanda Watson, the assistant dean for library and information services at Harvard Law School. 'To think that Magna Carta could inspire new generations of people to think about individual liberty and what that means and what self-governance means is very exciting.'
Sky News
15-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Magna Carta 'copy' miscatalogued in 1940s found to be original
An issue of the Magna Carta, which was wrongly catalogued as a copy in the 1940s, has been identified as original. Harvard Law School Library bought what it thought was a stained and faded copy of the document from London book dealers Sweet & Maxwell in 1946 for 27 dollars and 50 cents. The book dealers had acquired it at a Sotheby's auction a month earlier from a First World War pilot for £42. It was wrongly dated as being made in 1327 under King Edward III. But two researchers have now found that the "copy" is a rare original from 1300 issued by King Edward I and is worth millions of dollars, although Harvard does not intend to sell it. David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King's College London, was studying online copies of the Magna Carta in December 2023 when he realised the version he was looking at on Harvard's website might be an original. A detailed comparison of text and other tests were carried out on the Harvard document, which confirmed that the "copy" was an original issue of the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was originally established in 1215 under King John and outlined the rights of ordinary people under common law for the first time. It has since formed the basis of constitutions worldwide. There are four copies of the 1215 issue and seven of the 1300 version, including Harvard's original. One version sold at auction in 2007 fetched more than $21.3m (£10m at the time) at Sotheby's in New York. "My reaction was one of amazement and, in a way, awe that I should have managed to find a previously unknown Magna Carta," Mr Carpenter said about the "fantastic discovery". He said he was also astonished "that Harvard had been sitting on it for all these years without realising what it was". Mr Carpenter continued: "Harvard's Magna Carta deserves celebration, not as some mere copy, stained and faded, but as an original of one of the most significant documents in world constitutional history, a cornerstone of freedoms past, present and yet to be won." He teamed up with Nicholas Vincent, professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia, to confirm the authenticity of the Harvard document. Mr Vincent said Harvard's Magna Carta is the 25th known surviving original: "The 1300 issue is the last time it was issued as a single sheet document under the king's seal as an official endorsement of the settlement of Magna Carta."
Asharq Al-Awsat
15-05-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Harvard Thought it Had Cheap Copy of Magna Carta. It Turned Out to be Extremely Rare
Harvard University for decades assumed it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta in its collection, a stained and faded document it had purchased for less than $30. But two researchers have concluded it has something much more valuable — a rare version from 1300 issued by Britain's King Edward I, The Associated Press reported. The original Magna Carta established in 1215 the principle that the king is subject to law, and it has formed the basis of constitutions globally. There are four copies of the original and, until now, there were believed to be only six copies of the 1300 version. 'My reaction was one of amazement and, in a way, awe that I should have managed to find a previously unknown Magna Carta,' said David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King's College London. He was searching the Harvard Law School Library website in December 2023 when he found the digitized document. 'First, I'd found one of the most rare documents and most significant documents in world constitutional history,' Carpenter said. 'But secondly, of course, it was astonishment that Harvard had been sitting on it for all these years without realizing what it was.' Confirming the document's authenticity Carpenter teamed up with Nicholas Vincent, a professor of medieval history at Britain's University of East Anglia, to confirm the authenticity of Harvard's document. Comparing it to the other six copies from 1300, Carpenter found the dimensions matched up. He and Vincent then turned to images Harvard librarians created using ultraviolet light and spectral imaging. The technology helps scholars see details on faded documents that are not visible to the human eye. That allowed them to compare the texts word-for-word, as well as the handwriting, which include a large capital 'E' at the start in 'Edwardus' and elongated letters in the first line. After the 1215 original printed by King John, five other editions were written in the following decades — until 1300, the last time the full document was set out and authorized by the king's seal. The 1300 version of Magna Carta is "different from the previous versions in a whole series of small ways and the changes are found in every single one,' Carpenter said. Harvard had to meet a high bar to prove authenticity, Carpenter said, and it did so 'with flying colors.' Its tattered and faded copy of the Magna Carta is worth millions of dollars, Carpenter estimated — though Harvard has no plans to sell it. A 1297 version of the Magna Carta sold at auction in 2007 for $21.3 million. A document with a colorful history The other mystery behind the document was the journey it took to Harvard. That task was left to Vincent, who was able to trace it all the way back to the former parliamentary borough of Appleby in Westmorland, England. The Harvard Law School library purchased its copy in 1946 from a London book dealer for $27.50. At the time, it was wrongly dated as being made in 1327. Vincent determined the document was sent to a British auction house in 1945 by a World War I flying ace who also played a role defending Malta in World War II. The war hero, Forster Maynard, inherited the archives from Thomas and John Clarkson, who were leading campaigners against the slave trade. One of them, Thomas Clarkson, became friends with William Lowther, hereditary lord of the manor of Appleby, and he possibly gave it to Clarkson. 'There's a chain of connection there, as it were, a smoking gun, but there isn't any clear proof as yet that this is the Appleby Magna Carta. But it seems to me very likely that it is,' Vincent said. He said he would like to find a letter or other documentation showing the Magna Carta was given to Thomas Clarkson. Making Magna Carta relevant for a new generation Vincent and Carpenter plan to visit Harvard in June to see its Magna Carta firsthand — and they say the document is as relevant as ever at a time when Harvard is clashing with the Trump administration over how much authority the federal government should have over its leadership, admissions and activism on campus. 'It turns up at Harvard at precisely the moment where Harvard is under attack as a private institution by a state authority that seems to want to tell Harvard what to do,' Vincent said. It also is a chance for a new generation to learn about the Magna Carta, which played a part in the founding of the United States — from the Declaration of Independence to the adoption of the Bill of Rights. Seventeen states have incorporated aspects of it into their laws. 'We think of law libraries as places where people can come and understand the underpinnings of democracy,' said Amanda Watson, the assistant dean for library and information services at Harvard Law School. 'To think that Magna Carta could inspire new generations of people to think about individual liberty and what that means and what self-governance means is very exciting.'
