Prospero | Magna Carta

A manuscript for all seasons

The British Library explains the origins and legacy of Magna Carta

By A.B.

MAGNA CARTA is the most important document in British history. A peace treaty to which King John was forced to append his seal by a group of rebellious barons in 1215, it has gone on to become a symbol of liberty and individual freedoms through the ages and around the world. Only three of the 63 original clauses in this “great charter” remain in force in Britain today, but its declaration that everyone has the right to justice according to the rule of law has ensured continuing relevance.

This year marks the 800th anniversary of that first sealing, and the British Library in London celebrates by attempting to tell Magna Carta’s story, and examining its origins and widespread impact, in “Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy”, the biggest exhibition in the library's history.

The ancient documents themselves are clearly the main draw, and the assembled collection is exhaustive. Most significant are the two copies of Magna Carta itself that the library owns. Only four extant copies remain from an unknown original number that were written out by clerks and sent around Britain in 1215. (The other two are in Lincoln Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral.) Rather than put its two copies at the place in the exhibition where chronology dictates, the library saves them for the very end—the magician’s great reveal—though the dingy, end-of-the-corridor setting does not quite match expectations. Such, perhaps, is the fate of all documents of great symbolic power.

Visitors can also see the “Articles of the Barons”, a draft document outlining the barons’ demands, which was the first list presented to John in June 1215, and from which the final agreement was prepared a few days later. And since the Magna Carta of 1215 is not in fact the charter that made it onto Britain’s statute roll, the exhibition also contains the subsequent, updated charters of 1216 (issued after John’s death by a regent, since the new king, Henry III, was just nine when he assumed the throne), 1217, 1225 (known as the definitive version) and 1297 (the version actually put on the statutes).

It was not, however, until the 16th and particularly the 17th century, when Magna Carta was used to challenge the rule of Britain’s Stuart kings, that it started to find its wider political significance. When Charles I refused to recognise the right of a court to judge him, and tried to delay proceedings, Magna Carta was cited, and he was duly executed. The 17th century saw the publication of Britain’s Petition of Right in 1628, a statement of the civil liberties of the people, and the Bill of Rights (in 1689), which asserted that the monarch could rule only with the consent of the people. Both documents have been lent to the British Library for this exhibition.

Across the Atlantic, the charter inspired two of America’s foundation documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the former and the Delaware copy of the latter both appear in Britain for the first time at the library. Indeed, such was Magna Carta’s impact in America that the British government even proposed giving its American counterpart a copy in exchange for American involvement in the second world war. The related discussion papers, which are included here, describe the putative gift as "the only really adequate gesture which it is in our power to make in return for the means to preserve our country". After the second world war, when Eleanor Roosevelt spoke of the need for a universal declaration of human rights, she talked of wanting a Magna Carta for the world. Nelson Mandela quoted it during the trial that led to his 27-year incarceration. In a film made for the exhibition, Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s opposition, speaks of its relevance to her country, because "Everybody still needs to be protected by just laws."

The library's telling of this story could have done with an even clearer linking of themes. As it is, the visitor can move from one exhibit to the next while fumbling to spot connections. So it is not a show to be rushed. Indeed in providing such a rare chance to pore over the manuscripts, papal bulls, addresses, proclamations and humble petitions that have done so much to determine the history of Britain, and other nations, it rewards full-on wallowing.

There are swords, axes, paintings, episcopal vestments, hunting horns, re-enactment costumes—even two of John’s molars and a fraction of his thumb bone that were removed from his tomb in 1797—but it is the manuscripts that hold rightful sway.

Along with the English language, Magna Carta has a claim to be Britain’s greatest export. Historically minded visitors should make sure not to miss a superb opportunity to understand why.

"Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy" is at the British Library until September 1st 2015

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