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For decades, Harvard University believed it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta, bought for less than US$30 ($46), but experts say they’ve proven it’s a rare original.
Researchers from King’s College London and the University of East Anglia in the UK have identified a document purchased in 1946 and displayed at the Harvard Law School library. This document is one of just seven surviving copies issued by King Edward I in 1300.
What is the Magna Carta?
The Magna Carta is held up as a precursor of democracy and the basis of human rights conventions and legal systems around the world.
The document, created in June 1215, remains a cornerstone in human history, establishing the crucial principle that both the king and his government are subject to the rule of law.
It also serves as one of the foundational documents that helped establish the United States Declaration of Independence, as well as its constitution.
In 1300, Edward I issued a final version of the Magna Carta with minor changes, known as the Confirmation of the Charters.
It was a reaffirmation of the original Magna Carta signed by King John and the last full issue of the document.
‘A fantastic discovery’
David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King’s College London, who helped uncover the mix-up, described it as “a fantastic discovery”.
“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 said.
Carpenter had stumbled across the document online when he noticed key details that led him to believe it could be an original.
It was the dimensions of the paper, as well as its distinct handwriting — including its use of elongated letters and a distinct capital ‘E’ found in the other six previously known originals — that researchers said gave away clues of its authenticity.
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