Medieval History
As a nation we take these things for granted. On a recent trip to Lincoln, ostensibly to visit the magnificent medieval cathedral, I found myself alone in a room in the nearby castle where one of only four original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta is kept. There was no queue to get in, no crush of people jostling for a view.
Yet in 1939, when this very document was put on show for just six months in the British Pavilion at the World Fair in New York, an estimated 14 million people went to see it. When war broke out, it stayed in America, locked away in Fort Knox for safe-keeping.
It was no coincidence that on a recent trip to America, David Cameron was asked while on a talk show to translate the words Magna Carta into English (he failed). Such documents are important to Americans. A trip to the National Archives Building in Washington DC to look at the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights is an essential pilgrimage for any visitor to the capital. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of school children have filed past them.
Why don?t we do the same here?
Click here to read the full article from The Daily Telegraph
- Magna Carta Roundup
The 800th anniversary of the creation of Magna Carta was a major event, and here is a roundup of how newspapers and other media covered it. [View the story "Magna Carta Roundup" on Storify] Her Majesty The Queen unveils a plaque commemorating 800 years...
- From Magna Carta To Monty Python: Medieval News Roundup
A few great news pieces and blog posts we came across in the last couple of weeks, including two historians writing about the Magna Carta...[View the story "From Magna Carta to Monty Python: Medieval News Roundup" on Storify]...
- Jay-z Goes Medieval?
American rap star JAY-Z has released a new album this month entitled Magna Carta Holy Grail. To promote the album, they have placed artwork of the album's cover next to one of the earliest copies of the Magna Carta in Salisbury Cathedral. Dean of...
- A Medieval Market Town Has Discovered It Owns An Original Version Of The Magna Carta
A medival market town has discovered it owns an original version of Magna Carta, potentially worth about 20 million pounds, rather than a copy worth only 10,000 pounds. It was identified in the collection of Faversham town council in Kent by academic...
- Unique Continuity?
I did not know how quickly my recent claim (in "Coming to Terms with Medievalism") about the "unique continuity" between medieval culture and contemporary culture in Anglo-America would be proven right. But here it is: Some politicians in New Hampshire...
Medieval History
The Magna Carta: an old piece of parchment that made England a nation ? let's celebrate it
Yet in 1939, when this very document was put on show for just six months in the British Pavilion at the World Fair in New York, an estimated 14 million people went to see it. When war broke out, it stayed in America, locked away in Fort Knox for safe-keeping.
It was no coincidence that on a recent trip to America, David Cameron was asked while on a talk show to translate the words Magna Carta into English (he failed). Such documents are important to Americans. A trip to the National Archives Building in Washington DC to look at the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights is an essential pilgrimage for any visitor to the capital. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of school children have filed past them.
Why don?t we do the same here?
Click here to read the full article from The Daily Telegraph
- Magna Carta Roundup
The 800th anniversary of the creation of Magna Carta was a major event, and here is a roundup of how newspapers and other media covered it. [View the story "Magna Carta Roundup" on Storify] Her Majesty The Queen unveils a plaque commemorating 800 years...
- From Magna Carta To Monty Python: Medieval News Roundup
A few great news pieces and blog posts we came across in the last couple of weeks, including two historians writing about the Magna Carta...[View the story "From Magna Carta to Monty Python: Medieval News Roundup" on Storify]...
- Jay-z Goes Medieval?
American rap star JAY-Z has released a new album this month entitled Magna Carta Holy Grail. To promote the album, they have placed artwork of the album's cover next to one of the earliest copies of the Magna Carta in Salisbury Cathedral. Dean of...
- A Medieval Market Town Has Discovered It Owns An Original Version Of The Magna Carta
A medival market town has discovered it owns an original version of Magna Carta, potentially worth about 20 million pounds, rather than a copy worth only 10,000 pounds. It was identified in the collection of Faversham town council in Kent by academic...
- Unique Continuity?
I did not know how quickly my recent claim (in "Coming to Terms with Medievalism") about the "unique continuity" between medieval culture and contemporary culture in Anglo-America would be proven right. But here it is: Some politicians in New Hampshire...