Magna Carta is one of the most famous documents in the world. Explore its 800-year legacy with unique collection items, newly-commissioned articles by leading experts, videos and animations and a range of teaching resources. School groups can also contribute a clause towards a new Magna Carta for the digital age.
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What is Magna Carta?
Narrated by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, this animation takes you back to medieval England to explore the tyranny of King John, the frustrations of the barons and the significance of the charter’s original clauses.
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Magna Carta and human rights
‘If we allow the Human Rights Act’s destruction, the precious house of rights we’ve built together will come tumbling down.’ Reflecting on the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, Shami Chakrabarti warns us that today’s human rights legislation is under threat.
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Magna Carta and kingship
When Magna Carta was created, England had endured 16 years of John’s kingship – a rule based largely on extortion, legal chicanery, blackmail and violence. Here Dan Jones discusses King John's infamous reign.
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My Digital Rights
Magna Carta: My Digital Rights provides free classroom resources to support students and teachers as they consider their rights and responsibilities online. Vote for your favourite clauses and discover the key issues.
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800 years of Magna Carta
Over the centuries Magna Carta has influenced kings and statesmen, lawyers and lawmakers, prisoners, Chartists and Suffragettes. But how did this old piece of parchment become such a powerful symbol of our rights and freedoms? Narrated by Monty Python’s Terry Jones, this animation explores Magna Carta’s 800 year legacy.
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Empire and after
The British Empire lasted more than 300 years and spanned the globe. During this time, Magna Carta was used by imperialists to justify global ambition and by indigenous people to demand liberty and justice. Dr Zoe Laidlaw considers the significance of Magna Carta in relation to imperialism.
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Why Magna Carta still matters today
Why does Magna Carta matter 800 years after it was first sealed? Looking at Magna Carta as a document of historical and legal significance, Professor Justin Fisher explores the evolution of our rights and freedoms, and examines the relevance of the Great Charter today.
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Modern America and Magna Carta
Curator Dr Matthew Shaw explores the role of Magna Carta in the politics and popular culture of modern America. From The Simpsons and Jay-Z to the American law courts and the ‘War on Terror’, discover the significance of Magna Carta in the USA today.
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King John and the origins of Magna Carta
Professor David Carpenter and Professor Nicholas Vincent discuss the reign of King John, the grievances of the barons and the circumstances in which Magna Carta was created in 1215.
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Magna Carta in the modern age
Today Magna Carta has become a world-class brand, representing human rights, democracy and free speech – despite the fact that the original document makes no mention of these principles. Joshua Rozenberg explains Magna Carta’s place in modern legal and popular culture, and reveals the importance of its 800-year-old symbolism.
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Radicalism and suffrage
Dr Alexander Lock discusses Magna Carta’s relationship to parliamentary reform and to radicals fighting oppressive government. Find out how this medieval peace settlement was reinvented as a potent symbol of liberty and justice.
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The origins of Magna Carta
Professor Nicholas Vincent explores the medieval context in which the historic agreement at Runnymede was created, examining King John’s Plantagenet heritage, his loss of French territory and his relationship with the Church and the barons.
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Themes
Why was Magna Carta agreed at Runnymede in 1215? What did the document say, and how was it interpreted over the next 800 years? Why is it still important today, and how does it affect our culture, laws and rights? Explore the themes below to find answers to all these questions and more.
Medieval origins
Why was Magna Carta agreed in 1215? Explore the medieval context in which the historic meeting at Runnymede took place.
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Clauses and content
What does Magna Carta actually say? Why are some clauses still part of English law, while others have been forgotten?
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Magna Carta today
Explore Magna Carta’s place in the modern world and its influence on law, popular culture and human rights.
Read moreCollection items
Examine a range of rich historical sources relating to Magna Carta and its 800 year legacy. Discover unique items, such as an original 1215 Magna Carta, the papal bull that annulled it and Thomas Jefferson's draft of the American Declaration of Independence.
The ancestry of King John
Date: c.1300-07
Magna Carta 1215
Date: 15 June 1215
Painting of King John by an unknown artist
Date: c. 1620
Featured people
Discover the key figures involved with Magna Carta during the 13th century, from monarchs King John and Henry III, to churchmen Pope Innocent III and Archbishop Stephen Langton, to barons William Marshal and Robert fitz Walter.
Blog posts about Magna Carta
Magna Carta Virtual Tour
29 August 2015Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy has been the most successful exhibition ever staged by the British Library, with in excess of 100,000 visitors. But we are aware that many, many more will never be able to see it in person,...
British Museum Loans in Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy
26 August 2015As the British Library's major exhibition Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy draws to a close — it's been an amazing 5 months — we'd like to take this opportunity to showcase some of the key British Museum loans in the...
Little Ado About Something Rather Significant: William Shakespeare and Magna Carta
23 August 2015If you were writing a play about the reign of King John, what would be the one scene you could not dispense with? The sealing of Magna Carta at Runnymede, perhaps? Yet, this is exactly the scene that the nation’s...
Two Weeks to See Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy
16 August 2015Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy, the British Library's most successful exhibition ever, closes on Tuesday, 1 September. This week we were delighted to receive our 100,000th paying visitor, all the way from Portland, Oregon. Don't miss your final opportunity to...
Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy
Magna Carta tote bag
Tote bag, with lettering in an illuminated script, made from light-weight cotton
£3
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