LONDON: The four surviving original Magna Carta copies went on display together on Monday for the first time as Britain marks the 800th anniversary of a manuscript which has defined rights and liberties around the world.

Considered the cornerstone of freedom, modern democracy, justice and the rule of law, the English document forms the basis for legal systems across the globe, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the US constitution.

In June 1215, the wayward king John agreed to the demands of rebellious barons to curb his powers and sealed the charter at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames west of London.

At the British Library in London, the two priceless copies held by the institution were joined by those from Lincoln and Salisbury Cathedrals for a unification event this week that few will get to witness.

A total of 1,215 people — drawn from a ballot of more than 40,000 people from 20-plus countries — have won the chance to see the four originals together on Tuesday. World-leading Magna Carta experts get the chance to study them side by side on Wednesday. “Today is a really exciting day: the first time ever we have brought together the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta,” Claire Breay, the library’s head of medieval manuscripts, said.

“It established that the king was subject to the law and it’s been used in the centuries since it was granted as a defence against arbitrary and unjust rulers.

“And, of course, it has enormous symbolic importance as a symbol of rights and justice and freedom around the world.

Published in Dawn February 3rd , 2015

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