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Magna Carta document courtesy of Harvard

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Auspicious Timing as a Foundational Rights Document is Discovered in yhe Harvard University Law Library May 15 / Via Harvard University

https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2025/05/magna-carta-harvard-law-school

The Magna Carta was first issued in 1215 as a check on the power of the English monarch. A group of rebellious barons forced King John to sign it, establishing fundamental rights such as due process and habeas corpus, a legal concept that guarantees freedom from illegal imprisonment. It later inspired foundational legal documents, including the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

May 16 / ABC News and Multiple National & International News Services

An original Magna Carta discovered in plain sight at Harvard UniversityThe document influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution and constitutions around the world. An original copy of the Magna Carta has been discovered hiding in the archives of Harvard University, and the British medieval history professor who first stumbled across it online said the document is "one of the world's most valuable."

The 19-inch-by-19-inch parchment document is part of the Harvard Law School Library's collection of fragile documents and artifacts and was purchased by the university for $27.50 from a British auctioneer nearly 80 years ago.

The document has been on display in a case at the library and digital images of the document have been available online to researchers and medieval memorabilia buffs for years.

Until now, the law library staff just figured it was a cheap knockoff, said David Carpenter, the professor of medieval history at King's College in London, who made the astonishing discovery.

Carpenter said the document had been miscatalogued by the auction house where the university purchased it as dating to 1327, and describing the manuscript as "somewhat rubbed and damp-stained." ...

Carpenter told The Associated Press that he was researching Harvard Law School's digitized historical documents collection online for a book in 2023 from his home in southeast London when he clicked on a document marked "HLS MS 172."

"I immediately thought, 'Oh my God,'" said Carpenter.

He said he recognized the document as one of just seven original copies still in existence of the Magna Carta issued in 1300 by Britain's King Edward I.

The first Magna Carta was issued in 1215 by England's King John, declaring that the king and his government were not above the law and outlined the legal rights of commoners for the first time. Five subsequent updated editions of the document were issued, including the one issued by Edward I. The document has since influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution and constitutions around the world.

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