Magna Carta Magnificence!

Magna Carta?  Yes please!

Nothing like spending a lazy Sunday afternoon taking in an almost 800-year old document that just happens to embody a fledging British experiment in power-sharing that may or may not have seeded the strains of modern democracy realized during the later half of the 18th century and continue today.  Or, at least that was our lazy Sunday thanks to the LACMA hosting a special exhibit of an original copy of the Magna Carta from the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford as part of the annual celebration of BritWeek here in Los Angeles.  After the blitz of worldwide attention on William and Kate's wedding, it was a nice, and perhaps slightly ironic, cap to the week long focus on the scope and cultural influence of the British Royalty.

Needless to say, it was amazing!  Not surprising given the fact that it has the word "Magna" in the title, always a great starting point for any title, and we happily geeked out over it.  Our only wish was that we had taken Latin at some point in our educational journeys to be able to read it in-situ.  Fortunately for all of us, LACMA has plenty of info on the web, including a full English translation available (see below).  Yeah democracy!

An original Magna Carta from the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford will be on view on Level 2 of the Art of the Americas Building during the annual celebration of BritWeek. The Great Charter granted by King John on 15 June 1215 at Runnymede near Windsor, and reissued throughout the 13th century during the succeeding reigns of Henry III and Edward I, set key limitations upon royal authority. A landmark in the history of democracy, it remains to this day an important symbol of freedom and the rule of law. The ideas expressed in Magna Carta found especial resonance in America, paving the political road to the Charters of Freedom.

Only seventeen surviving original manuscripts of Magna Carta are known today, dating from 1215 to 1297. A manuscript of the 1217 charter, issued in the name of King Henry III, will be displayed at LACMA.

Read  an English translation of Magna Carta

No pictures were allowed to protect the document, but here is an image of the document from the LACMA.