Pocket Magna Carta: 1217 Text and Translation

by Bodleian Library (Editor), Bruce Barker-Benfield (Translation)

Magna Carta, or “Great Charter,” is one of the most important documents in legal history. Originating in 1215 as a peace treaty between King John and a group of rebellious barons at Runnymede, it put into law the concept of individual liberty and transformed the role of the monarch toward the people. Magna Carta was subsequently revised and reissued throughout the thirteenth century, and the ideas it expressed have had a profound influence, including on the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Pocket Magna Carta reproduces the 1217 reissue of this landmark document, including both the original Latin text and a modern translation, as well as an accessible introduction that traces the background of Magna Carta’s signing and subsequent revisions throughout the centuries. It also explains how the text has become an enduring symbol of freedom in Britain and the wider world. A clear and concise introduction to one of the most important documents in legal history, Pocket Magna Carta will be welcomed by those with an interest in British history or the wider history of Britain in the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics

64 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2016

About the author

The Bodleian Library, established in 1602, is the main research library of the University of Oxford and one of the oldest libraries in Europe. In Britain it is second in size only to the British Library.

Ask an Oxford Librarian
http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ask/

Reviews

[Michelle Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

After seeing the 1215 Magna Carta at Salisbury Cathedral decided to read up on it with this handy pocket book. The Magna Carter or the Great Charter is one of the most important documents in legal history. This book contains the reissued 1217 version, and contains both the English translation and the original Latin, with an interesting introduction. Nice little read for anyone interested in history.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neat

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

has Latin and English translation and nice introduction