Magna Carta : NPR

Man Tried To Steal Magna Carta, 800-Year-Old Symbol Of The Law, Police Say

British police say a man tried to steal the Salisbury Cathedral's Magna Carta, one of four original documents that have survived. Here, a schoolboy looks at the Magna Carta in the cathedral's Chapter House. Kieran Doherty/Reuters hide caption

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Kieran Doherty/Reuters

Law

Man Tried To Steal Magna Carta, 800-Year-Old Symbol Of The Law, Police Say

October 26, 2018 • Police in Salisbury, England, have arrested a man accused of trying to steal the Magna Carta — the 1215 document that established basic tenets of the rule of law.

Magna Carta, 'This Awful Thing' That Shaped Legal Rights, Turns 800

The London copy of the 1215 Magna Carta, on display by the British Library. The document was sealed on June 15, 1215. 2289/The British Library hide caption

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2289/The British Library

The Two-Way

Magna Carta, 'This Awful Thing' That Shaped Legal Rights, Turns 800

June 15, 2015 • The landmark birthday prompted a Google Doodle in Britain depicting a man in chains — a reference to the rights that were eventually extended beyond the nobility.

At 800 And Aging Well, The Magna Carta Is Still A Big Draw

Two original Magna Carta manuscripts from 1215 are on display at the British Library in London. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption

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Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Europe

At 800 And Aging Well, The Magna Carta Is Still A Big Draw

April 13, 2015 • Issued by an embattled King John in 1215, the document sometimes called England's greatest export is now on display at the British Library, where it's pulling in large crowds.

At 800 And Aging Well, The Magna Carta Is Still A Big Draw

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'A New State Of Things': Celebrating 800 Years Of The Magna Carta

A facsimile copy of the 1215 Magna Carta is displayed in the Library at Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England. Matt Cardy/Getty Images hide caption

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Matt Cardy/Getty Images

History

'A New State Of Things': Celebrating 800 Years Of The Magna Carta

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January 4, 2015 • It was a peace treaty for just two months. But eight centuries on, the ideas it came to embody — freedom and human rights — have ensured that the Magna Carta remains a universal touchstone of liberty.

13th-Century Food Fights Helped Fuel The Magna Carta

The barons wanted King John to stop seizing their grain. The fish weirs had to go, too. Wikimedia Commons hide caption

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Wikimedia Commons

The Salt

13th-Century Food Fights Helped Fuel The Magna Carta

April 18, 2012 • A greedy king who seized food was a key driver of the Magna Carta. That 13th-century document was a key inspiration for the American Revolution 500 years later. But at the time, the barons who negotiated the deal weren't concerned with the rights of starving peasants — these 1 percenters wanted to protect their own power and property.