The Magna Carta, Then and Now: Public Lecture
24 November 2015
In celebration of UN Human Rights Day on 10 December, Professor David Carpenter will be giving a lecture at Queen Mary University London.
David Carpenter is a Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London and author of ‘Magna Carta’, published by Penguin Classics.
Magna Carta, forced on King John in 1215 by rebellion, is one of the most famous documents in world history. It asserts a fundamental principle: that the ruler is subject to the law. David Carpenter’s commentary draws on new discoveries to give an entirely fresh account of Magna Carta’s text, origins, survival and enforcement, showing how it quickly gained a central place in English political life.
It also uses Magna Carta as a lens through which to view thirteenth-century society, focusing on women and peasants as well as barons and knights. The book is a landmark in Magna Carta studies. 2015 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta’s creation – an event which will be marked with exhibitions, commemorations and debates in all the countries over whose constitutions and legal assumptions the shadow of Magna Carta hangs.
This event will be chaired by Professor Geraldine van Bueren QC.
Thursday 10 December 2015 6:30pm, ArtsTwo Lecture Theatre, ArtsTwo Building
Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS
This event will be followed by a drinks reception to which all attendees are invited.
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Will he discuss the linked Charter of the Forests, the smaller charter that made the more famous one the ‘Magna’? His book doesn’t. For a discussion of its importance see articles in openDemocracy’s debate on how to get a democratic constitution: https://opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/collections/great-charter-convention (declaration of interest, I wrote a couple of them).
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