Earlier this month, celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta were held on the marshy land beside the Thames at Runnymede where, on 15 June 1215, King John accepted the historic document that limited the power of the crown.
Weighty agreement
Magna Carta, or to give it its English name, the Great Charter, is a weighty written agreement parchment sealed by King John, the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart, in 1215.
It is still held up as the foundation of the legal and constitutional framework for the UK, despite being completed 800 years ago.
Four copies of the original document exist today; however, it would be hard to decipher for the average reader, as its 63 clauses were written in Latin.
It is thought that there were more than 13 copies at the time of its creation, which were sent out across the country to lay down taxation laws, among other things.
Still in force
To this day, three of the 60 clauses remain valid. One of those is a clause right at the heart of the charter.
It states that “no free man should be seized or imprisoned or stripped of his rights or outlawed or exiled except by the judgement of his equals or by the law of the land”.
This laid down the foundations for the British legal and political system in place today.
The Royal Mint has issued a £2 commemorative coin that depicts the journey towards freedom for the ordinary man.
Coin collectors can celebrate the 800th anniversary of this historic document and all that it stands for with a crisply-minted ‘Brilliant Uncirculated Coin’ struck to commemorate the occasion.
Significant gift
The coin is presented in medieval-inspired packaging that displays it and reveals the story of the Magna Carta and its far-reaching influence across the world over many centuries.
Designed by John Bergdahl, an experienced coinage artist, this coin makes a great gift for anyone with an interest in history or an interest in this significant anniversary, or it simply makes an excellent addition to any coin collection.
Mariano A Davies is the president & CEO of both the language learning provider Oxford Institute (oxfordinstitute.biz) and the British Chamber of Commerce in Denmark (bccd.dk). BCCD, the Danish arm of a global network of British chambers, provides networking and facilitation through events and other professional services for the business community in Denmark.
