Magna Carta 1225

 

Yesterday was the eighth centenary of the reissue of Magna Carta and its accompanying text the Charter of the Forest in 1225 by King Henry III. It was these texts which became definitive, and they were the first enrolled as statutes of the realm in 1297. These were the texts which were customarily reissued by later medieval monarchs. Those few parts of the Great Charter which are still part of the law of the land, notably clause 29 ( clause 39 in the 1215 version ) derive their legal force from this1225 revised reissue.

 

The National Archives have issued a translation of the 1225 text on their website. This can be seen at Magna Carta, 1225

In Oxford the Bodleian Library is holding an exhibition until April of their copies of the various versions. This is in the Weston Library on Broad Street. This exhibition is described at Magna Carta 1225

Durham Cathedral Library has original copies of several of the versions of the texts of Magna Carta, including the unique copy of the 1216 reissue, and they will be on display in an exhibition this forthcoming summer and autumn. They are described and illustrated at Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest - Durham Cathedral

In recent years there has been considerable debate as to whether the Magna Carta of 1215 should be viewed as a great constitutional document or as a peace settlement that rapidly 

failed. To that I am always inclined to give the answer that it was both, not polarised alternatives. The same argument can be made about the 1216, 1217, and 1225 reissues and redactions as the government of the young King Henry III sought to establish his rule and a new or restored relationship with the baronage.

Reissuing the charters was a pledge of a new way of conducting the business of government, and turned what had been an unwilling concession into a constitutional resource in the royal hand.

At the same time an indication that things could easily go wrong can be seen in the young King’s response to difficulties in Chester as early as June 1225 and as described by the National Archives in Magna Carta exploited, 1225

As King Henry III was to discover as monarch reissuing Magna Carta did not necessarily lead to a tranquil reign.