Latest news with #MagnaCartas
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A Historian Pulled an Old Document Out of Storage—and Discovered an Original Magna Carta
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn in this story: Two British scholars discovered that an innocuous Harvard Law School Library document was actually an original 1300 copy of the Magna Carta. Believed to be a copy from 1327 when it was purchased for $27.50 from a London bookseller in 1946, the document had been sitting in the university library for decades. Scholars traced the provenance, and now believe it was one of about 30 copies sent out by King Edward I to the Appleby borough. An original version of the Magna Carta—considered one of the most important documents in all of history—was sitting (unbeknownst to anyone) within the Harvard Law School Library. Believed for decades to be a copy, a pair of British scholars recently uncovered that it is, in fact, the real deal. The team came across the document—which had been labled 'HLS MS 172'—while doing other research. Now, they believe this copy to be one of the last Magna Carta originals to have ever been created. 'My reaction was one of amazement and, in a way, awe that I should have managed to find a previously unknown Magna Carta,' David Carpenter, professor of medieval history at King's College London, told the Associated Press. 'First, I'd found one of the most rare documents and most significant documents in world constitutional history. But secondly, of course, it was astonishment that Harvard had been sitting on it for all these years without realizing what it was.' Harvard had purchased what was believed to have been a copy of the Magna Carta created in 1327 from London bookseller Sweet & Maxwell for $27.50 in 1946. It carried out an inconspicuous existence in the library since then, until Carpenter took notice of it in December of 2023 and sent images to Nicholas Vincent—a medieval history professor at the University of East Anglia in Britain—asking what he thought. Upon taking a look at the document, Vincent agreed that this was more than a mere copy. 'You know jolly well what that is,' Carpenter said Vincent told him, according to Harvard Magazine. 'It's clearly an original. It's not a copy.' Vincent let Harvard know what they had, but their response was 'lukewarm,' at best. 'I think they may have thought I was a lunatic, actually,' he said. Still, he and Carpenter worked with the library to authenticate the work, using ultraviolet light and spectral imaging to reveal faded writing. The duo compared it to the six other known original copies from 1300 to confirm word-for-word matches in the writing and identical handwriting styles—right down to elongated letters. The handwriting and 19-by-19-inch size fit with the other 1300 Magna Cartas, and even the text stated it was from the '28th year of Edward's reign,' linking it directly to 1300. 'It was quite nerve-wracking,' Carpenter said about the authentication process, 'but the merciful thing is, at the end, Harvard Law School passed the exam with flying colors.' The Magna Carta was first issued in 1215—a powerful document that placed a rule of law on English monarchs. That original document, signed by King John, established due process and habeas corpus, and has served as the basis for some of the world's most foundational documents, including the U.S. Constitution. The Magna Carta was reissued five times—known as 'confirmations'—between 1215 and the final confirmation in 1300. Carpenter said that well over 30 were created in 1300 by King Edward I and sent across the country with his seal, but only six were thought to have survived. The 1300 Magna Carta has small differences from other versions, and the changes are found in every 1300 original, Carpenter said, which was helpful when comparing the Harvard document to the others. 'It's one of the world's most valuable documents,' Carpenter said. And that's both historically and monetarily, as a 1297 version sold in 2007 for a whopping $21.3 million. The scholars wanted to establish how a document sold in a London bookshop in the 1940s could trace back to 1300. The pair was able to find that a World War I flying ace—Air Vice-Marshal Forster Sammy Maynard, CB—sold the document via a Sotheby's auction in 1945. London bookseller Sweet & Maxwell bought the document, and then sold it to the Harvard Law School Library in 1946. Vincent said that Maynard's grandson told him that the pilot had inherited historical documents from Thomas and John Clarkson—leaders of a campaign against the British slave trade. Clarkson was acquainted with William Lowther, the hereditary lord of the manor of Appleby, which was one of the places a 1300 confirmation was sent. It was known to still be there in 1762, making this likely the same document. 'There's a chain of connection there, as it were, a smoking gun,' Vincent said, '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.' What was 'bought for peanuts in 1946' and has sat unceremoniously within the Boston institution will now get its due. Harvard plans to keep its Magna Carta, but now, they know it's worth. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Magna Carta Copy Harvard Bought For $27 Is Determined To Be Authentic
An original copy of the Magna Carta has been found in a Harvard University library, stunning British academics who hailed the school's previously perceived imitation as 'one of the world's most valuable documents.' The historic charter, which dates back to England's King Edward I in 1300, was declared an original by eagle-eyed historians in the U.K. who launched an investigation into its authenticity after coming upon it online, Harvard University said in a release Thursday. Nicholas Vincent, a professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia, said it took 'all of 30 milliseconds' for him to recognize the document's authenticity after it was flagged to him by David Carpenter, a fellow professor of medieval history at King's College London. 'You know what that is and I know what that is, it's an original Magna Carta,' Vincent recalled his immediate reaction to Carpenter by email. The New England school said it purchased the roughly 700-year-old document in 1946 for $27.50 (approximately $500 today) at auction. The auctioneer, who obtained it through a London bookseller who acquired it from a Royal Air Force war hero, misidentified it as an unofficial copy after misreading and labeling its date as 1327, Harvard said. There are only 25 known original Magna Cartas today, including this one owned by Harvard. This new one is the third known outside of the British Isles — the other two being in Washington, D.C., and in Canberra, Australia, according to the university. The document was first issued by King John, King Edward I's grandfather, in 1215. It was the first to put into writing the principle that the king and his government are not above the law. Amended versions of it were released in years after. 'It is an icon both of the Western political tradition and of constitutional law. If you asked anybody what the most famous single document in the history of the world is, they would probably name Magna Carta,' said Vincent. The badly faded and stained document had been archived in Harvard Law School's library since its purchase. A close review of it by Carpenter and Vincent found that it perfectly matched six other original copies from King Edward's 1300 confirmation of the charter that are known to still exist. It notably matched the dimensions and handwriting, and it also contained some small changes that those original six copies have from earlier versions. 'This is a fantastic discovery,' Carpenter said. '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 corner stone of freedoms past, present and yet to be won.' Those wanting to view the document can see it digitized at the Harvard Law School Library's website. Harvard Researcher Detained By ICE To Be Transferred To Massachusetts Harvard Expands Lawsuit After Trump Administration Orders More Funding Cuts Ex-Prosecutor Draws Dark Historical Comparison Over Trump's 'I Am A King' Moment Researchers Sniff Ancient Egyptian Remains, Make Surprising Discovery New York Man Makes Stunning Prehistoric Discovery While Gardening Own Backyard
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Harvard's $27 copy of Magna Carta revealed to be extremely rare original
A manuscript purchased by Harvard University as a cheap, water-stained copy of the Magna Carta is, in fact, 'one of the world's most valuable documents,' a British researcher said Thursday. The Magna Carta (Latin for 'Great Charter') is a landmark legal document first issued by King John of England in 1215 that established limits on the power of the monarchy. Today, it's considered one of the most important legal writings in the history of democracy. A document believed to be a 1327 copy of the manuscript was purchased by Harvard Law School from a London book dealer in 1946 for $27.50, or about $500 today. But as it turns out, the manuscript held in the university's library for nearly 80 years is no cheap copy — it's one of only seven known Magna Cartas from the year 1300. The stunning discovery happened after David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King's College London, stumbled upon a document unassumingly titled 'HLS MS 172' on the school's website. He reached out to fellow Magna Carta scholar Nicholas Vincent, a professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia, and sent him images of the manuscript for a second opinion. 'What do you think that is?' Vincent recalls Carpenter asking. 'You know jolly well what that is. It's clearly an original. It's not a copy,' he said. 'My reaction was one of amazement and, in a way, awe that I should have managed to find a previously unknown Magna Carta,' Carpenter said. A company specializing in digital research used ultraviolet light and spectral imaging to reveal details on faded pages invisible to the naked eye, and the document's authenticity was verified. Harvard's stained copy of the Magna Carta is worth millions of dollars, Carpenter estimates. In 2007, an original 1297 version of the document was sold at auction in New York City for $21.3 million.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Harvard unearths rare 1300 Magna Carta long buried in its library's shadows
For decades, Harvard University unknowingly housed a document of extraordinary historical and constitutional significance — a rare 1300 edition of the Magna Carta , issued by King Edward I of England. Acquired in 1946 by the Harvard Law School Library for a mere $27.50, the parchment had long been presumed a faded reproduction. Now, scholars confirm it is one of only seven known copies of the 1300 version, transforming a modest acquisition into a multimillion-dollar treasure. The revelation began in December 2023 when Professor David Carpenter of King's College London stumbled upon a digitized image of the document on Harvard Law's online archives. What he initially thought was an ordinary replica soon unraveled into a discovery of breathtaking scale. '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, as reported by the Associated Press. Confirming a constitutional jewel To verify the find, Carpenter enlisted fellow medieval historian Nicholas Vincent of the University of East Anglia. The pair compared Harvard's copy with the six known 1300 Magna Cartas, scrutinizing dimensions, handwriting, and text line by line. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ready to Live in 2, 3 & 4 BHK from ₹3.60 Cr* in Sec 22 Ambience Creacions, Gurugram Learn More Undo With the help of ultraviolet light and spectral imaging, Harvard librarians revealed faded details invisible to the naked eye, including distinctive calligraphy and an ornate initial 'E' in Edwardus. Harvard had to meet a high bar to prove authenticity, Carpenter said, and it did so 'with flying colors' as quoted by the Associated Press. Tracing the document's winding path The question remained: How did such a vital document end up misclassified in a university archive? Vincent traced its provenance to Appleby, a parliamentary borough in Westmorland, England. The document's last known owner was Forster Maynard, a World War I flying ace and World War II veteran, who inherited archives linked to renowned abolitionist Thomas Clarkson. Clarkson's ties to William Lowther, hereditary lord of Appleby, suggest a likely — though not definitively proven — path for the Magna Carta's journey from royal hands to a Harvard filing cabinet. A document that still speaks More than 700 years after it was sealed by the English crown, this Magna Carta is no dusty relic. Scholars believe its emergence is especially poignant at a moment when Harvard — and other institutions — are grappling with questions of governmental oversight, institutional autonomy, and civil liberties . '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 as quoted by The Associated Press. Seventeen US states have incorporated elements of Magna Carta into their legal frameworks . Its enduring legacy — from inspiring the Declaration of Independence to the Bill of Rights — continues to shape democratic thought. From forgotten folio to global legacy What began as a misfiled curiosity has emerged as a pivotal moment in historical scholarship. The rediscovery of Harvard's 1300 Magna Carta is more than a triumph of academic diligence — it is a stirring reminder that the principles of liberty, law, and accountability are never far from reach, even when hiding in plain sight. Invest in Their Tomorrow, Today: Equip your child with the essential AI skills for a future brimming with possibilities | Join Now
