In the spring of 2024, two medieval historians in Britain were browsing the Harvard Library’s catalog on the Internet when they stopped them with a cold thing. On the screen, there was a university degree, which is called “HLS MS 172”, which is believed to be a homemade version of Magna Carta. But when David Carptter of the King’s College of London and Nicholas Vincen from East Anglia University of the document lines and messages, they saw a little bit of others noticed.
What they were looking at was not just cloning – but the original. It has now been confirmed as one of the seven of the two Orients known only from the 1300 Magna Carta under the leadership of King Edward I
The result puts the Harvard University Law Manuscript for a long time between the rarest artifacts from the constitutional history.
“This is a great discovery,” said Professor Carpenter. “Harvard Magna Carta deserves to celebrate, not only as copies, stained and faded, but as one of the origin of one of the most important documents in world constitutional history, the cornerstone of freedoms in the past, the present and has not yet been won.”
The Charter of Freedom and Basic Human Rights, was re -discovered
The historians discovered their discovery while browsing online from their offices in the United Kingdom, they were browsing libraries all over the world, and they studied informal copies of Magna Carta. But when they saw HLS MS 172, they were suspected that the sample might actually be an original medieval manuscript.
Therefore, they asked for UV rays and sediness from the Harvard librarians, who responded with a wave of advanced surveying. Under these lights, HLS MS 172 fibers were narrated in sharp satisfaction.
The carpenter compared the text with other women’s origins. He pointed out that the large “e” in the first line – “Edwardus” – and the size of slavery: 489 mm in 473 mm, in line with the other six known assets of 1300.
Every feature is aligned. Handwriting, slavery dimensions, and textual sincerity are perfectly compatible with the other six known original copies.
Then the decisive test came. In 1300, the monarchy author released a new unified version of the Magna Carta text. If the Harvard manuscript varies from this version, it is likely to be a fake or later version. However, the words of the manuscript coincide with the official release of 1300 exactly.
“The text should have been correct,” said Carptter.
Curious discovery
This raises another question. How did a royal charter cross the ocean and end up in the Faculty of Law Library?
The researchers followed their origin to Appleby, a former parliamentary region in the English Lake. The document issued to the city was released in 1300, the document followed a circular path through the hands of the British cancellation Thomas Clarkson, to the First World War that Forster “Sami” Mainard, who eventually made it auctioned.
In 1945, the manuscript was sold by Sotheby’s to London Law Book Dealers Sweet & Maxwell, who then sold it to Harvard Law College the following year – for only $ 27.50.
I described it in the auction list as “a copy … made in 1327 … so it was somewhat dirty and moisture.”
Harvard legal scholars did not think about much of it.
yet.
“Tooh of freedom”
Magna Carta – which was originally issued in 1215 under the leadership of King John – as a basic symbol of freedom and the rule of law. Although the original charter is largely dealt with with feudal grievances, its legacy has evolved. The principles allocated – limiting the royal authority, ensuring fair experiences, and proving the idea that no one is above the law (not even the king) – he repeated for centuries.
This helped form the constitution of the United States and inspire independence. It was quoted in the rulings of the Supreme Court and political speeches alike.
Professor Vincent said: “It is a totem of freedom.”
He added: “If I ask anyone about the most famous individual document in the history of the world,” they will probably call Magna Carta. “
This newly authenticated version is making Magna Carta Lore more amazing and attractive. It is not only a rare original, but its journey to the United States places it at the intersection of cancellation, post -war recovery, and modern legal grant.
“The source of this document is just great,” Vincent added. “Given the current problems on freedoms, about the sense of constitutional traditions in America, she could not create a great source of this.”
Digital discovery, a human touch
While Najjar and Vincent obtained the headlines for her scientific commitment, Library trustees such as Amanda Watson I worked quietly in the background to make such discoveries possible.
Watson, Assistant Dean of Library and Information Services at Harvard Law Faculty of Law, oversees the efforts of digitization that started in the 1980s. Its team worked on everything from the Middle Ages manuscripts to Charles Oglitry’s papers and legal records of Nuremberg experiences.
She said: “We have an impressive collection of Middle Ages, but we also have a lot,” she said.
Digitability not only involves wiping. It requires accurate treatment, placing graphic signs and specialized photography – sometimes with UV light, and sometimes with artificial intelligence.
This is not all ancient history. Harvard University is currently in sorting thousands of legal records after the war and exploring how Amnesty International can accelerate access and preservation.
“This work represents what is happening when great groups are opened, such as Harvard Law Faculty, for great scientists,” Watson said. “Behind all scientific revelation, the basic work of librarians who do not only collect materials, but also create paths that are still hidden.”
