U.S. History

The document played a pivotal role in shaping democracies around the world.

The Magna Carta, meaning “Great Charter,” is an important document that helped shape the development of democracy. Issued in 1215, it was designed to limit the power of the English monarch and allowed “free men” to have rights as individuals.

What Led to the Creation of the Magna Carta?

The idea and creation of the Magna Carta resulted from years of unsuccessful political policies and taxation demands on the people. To prevent a rebellion by the country’s barons, England’s King John signed the Magna Carta, a charter of liberties that would force him and all future leaders to function within the rule of law. Several alterations were made over the years, and the document came to represent freedom from oppression and unnecessary and unfair taxation of the people. It was later adopted by the Founding Fathers of the United States as a basis for common law.

Due to its importance, many copies of the Magna Carta were made available and released to the public. In 1946, Harvard University bought what it thought was a 1327 copy of the document for $27.50.

HLS MS 172 – Just a Copy or a Valuable Original?

In 2023, Harvard Professor David Carpenter discovered that the copy remarkably resembled a handwritten original. Upon further research, Carpenter and another Harvard professor with extensive knowledge of the 13th century, Nicholas Vincent, agreed that the document labeled HLS MS 172 (Harvard Law School Manuscript 172) bore a remarkable resemblance to an original. After running special tests, the team of professors and librarians confirmed that the university-owned copy of the Magna Carta was, in fact, a valuable original worth millions of dollars.

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.

The team discovered that the words were written on sheepskin in the year 1300, and it was issued by King Edward I himself. When compared to others written in that year, the document matched perfectly and was still in good condition. There are approximately 25 other originals from that time frame, and most of them are protected in museums and libraries throughout England. One of them was sold in 2007 for $21.3 million, which is far more valuable than the $27.50 the prestigious university originally paid.

Despite its value, Harvard University has no plans to sell the document. The school would like to use it to teach incoming generations about the historical value of the Magna Carta, and how it helped shape not only the US Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights but also several constitutions around the world.

Amanda Watson, assistant dean for library and information services at Harvard Law School, sees great value in the historical document.

“We think of law libraries as places where people can come and understand the underpinnings of democracy,” Watson said. “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.”

1. Magna Carta means Great Charter.
2. In 1946, Harvard brought what it thought was a copy of the Magna Carta from 1327, only to discover about 70 years later it was an original copy from 1300.
3. There are only about 25 copies now protected in libraries and museums in England.