Limit this search to....

Magna Carta: Origins and Legacy
Contributor(s): Vincent, Nicholas (Author)
ISBN: 1851243631     ISBN-13: 9781851243631
Publisher: Bodleian Library
OUR PRICE:   $36.00  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: March 2016
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | Europe - Medieval
- Political Science | Constitutions
- Political Science | History & Theory - General
Dewey: 942.033
Physical Information: 1" H x 8.2" W x 9.8" (2.70 lbs) 160 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - Medieval (500-1453)
- Cultural Region - British Isles
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Magna Carta is the most famous document in English history. And yet its survival is purely accidental. King John, who negotiated the document with his rebellious barons, had no intention of honouring its contents. Annulled by the pope within weeks of being issued, it was destined to oblivion. But with the sudden death of John, all of this changed. Magna Carta was reissued by the regents of the boy King Henry III as an apology for past misrule and as a promise of future good government. It was reissued on successive occasions and repeatedly cited in legal cases in the following centuries. Later, it played a part in conflicts such as the English Civil War and the American Revolutionary War. Echoes of Magna Carta are to be found in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It continues to be cited today as a touchstone of fundamental universal freedoms.

This book tells the story of the birth and development of Magna Carta from its origins to the modern day. It also reproduces and describes, for the very first time, every surviving copy of the Great Charter, as well as related charters of the period, including various new discoveries. It addresses the previously unanswered question of how the charter was published and disseminated to the shires of England and includes a chapter on the charter's scribes and sealing, supplying a truly unique insight into both the creation and afterlife of the most fundamental legal document in British history.

Contributor Bio(s): Vincent, Nicholas: - Nicholas Vincent is director of the Arts and Humanities Research Council's Magna Carta project and the author or coauthor of several books about the charter. He is professor of medieval history at the University of Anglia and a fellow of the British Academy.