QUEEN Elizabeth has led celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, a document that cemented a key step on Britain's path to its modern parliamentary democracy.
THE Queen travelled to Runnymede, 30 kilometres west of London, where King John applied his royal seal to the document on June 15, 1215, guaranteeing a new relationship between the king and his subjects.
The Queen's husband, Prince Phillip, and her grandson, Prince William, also attended Monday's ceremony. Prime Minister David Cameron was scheduled to speak at the event, to which 4500 guests were invited.
Prince William unveiled Hew Locke's art installation The Jurors, which
features 12 bronze chairs symbolising the right to a fair trial under
the Magna Carta. Many other events were held in Britain and other
countries to mark the anniversary, including a series of
parliament-sponsored "LiberTeas" tea parties and political debates
across Britain on Sunday.
In Canberra, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Magna Carta
"remains a very important foundation stone of our democracy".
"It
remains a very important watershed for the whole world, because
decency, civilisation, human rights utterly depend upon the rule of
law," Mr Abbott said. The Latin document's most famous clause
grants the right to justice and a fair trial to all "free men", although
in 1215 most British people were peasants tied to landowners so they
were not counted as "free men" under the law.
Meaning "great
charter," Magna Carta is credited with inspiring democratic reformers in
Britain and other nations, including Thomas Jefferson in the United
States and Mahatma Gandhi in India, and documents such as the US
Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
With many thanks to The Australian
Related:
Original Magna Carta Copy Found In Sandwich ArchiveWith many thanks to The Australian
Related:
Leonardo Da Vinci's: The Leicester Codex sale price.
World’s Most Expensive Printed Book - “The Bay Psalm Book” - Sells For $14.2 mnScribbled Draft Lyrics of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” Sells for Record $2 Million
Rorke's Drift: Rare Account Of Zulu Battle Written The Day After Sells For £15k
Original Magna Carta Copy Found In Sandwich Archive
Shakespeare First Folio discovered In French Library
'American Pie' Lyrics Sell For $1.2 million In New York
Alan Turing Manuscript Sells For $1 million
Beatles’ First Recording Contract to Be Auctioned For An Estimated $150,000
Shakespeare First Folio found on Scottish Isle of Bute
William Shakespeare Folios Net $3.6 Million At Christie’s
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Press Pass for the Spanish Civil War Found
Letter From Paul McCartney To Prince Sells For $15K
The Voynich Manuscript: World's Most Mysterious Manuscript To Be Released
500-Year-Old Hidden Images Revealed In Mexican 'Manuscript'
The Memory of Mankind Archive: The Greatest Time Capsule Ever
John Lennon MBE Return Letter Valued At £60k