Skip to main content

Primary sourceArtifactc. 1199-1216

Great Seal of King John

Royal chancery · c. 1199-1216

The wax seal King John used to authenticate Magna Carta, since medieval kings sealed rather than signed official documents.

Impressions of this seal show how King John authenticated the charter, since it was sealed rather than signed.

Ask Magna Carta about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Brown wax impression of a royal seal, circular, showing a mounted king on horseback with a raised sword and shield, attached by a strip of parchment with pendant tails. Light background.
Great Seal of King John (reverse), impression, c. 1199-1216. British Library / The National Archives.

About this source

What it is

This is an impression of the Great Seal of King John, made by the royal chancery around 1199–1216. It shows the king on horseback and was originally attached to the Articles of the Barons, the document that led directly to Magna Carta in June 1215. Impressions survive at the British Library and The National Archives.

Why it matters

Because medieval monarchs did not sign documents the way we do today, the Great Seal was how King John authenticated royal acts, including the charter his barons forced him to agree to. Seeing the seal helps students understand that Magna Carta was sealed, not signed, and connects the physical object to the moment of royal authority being constrained.

Look closer

  • What does the image of a mounted king with sword and shield tell you about how kings wanted to be seen?
  • Why would a seal, rather than a signature, count as proof that a document was official?
  • How does this object connect to the story of the barons forcing John to agree to new limits on his power?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Magna Carta on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Magna Carta sources

Meet the AI Magna Carta →
Photograph of the 1215 Magna Carta parchment, a dense page of handwritten medieval Latin in brownish ink with line breaks and a small marginal number at top left.Document

Primary source

Magna Carta (1215 Exemplification)

1215

Photograph of a round brown wax seal impression with a raised equestrian figure of a rider on horseback, attached by a cream parchment tag with two long tails hanging from its base. A faint inscription appears around the edge.Document

Primary source

Articles of the Barons

1215

Photograph of a medieval parchment charter covered in dense brown-black handwritten Latin text in columns, with a dark green wax seal on a tan cord at the bottom showing a seated mounted knight. This is the 1225 Charter of the Forest.Document

Primary source

Charter of the Forest

1217

Photograph of a large medieval parchment document covered in handwritten Latin text in brown ink, with a red wax seal hanging on a strip of parchment tabs at the bottom. Several small holes and tears are visible along the edges.Document

Primary source

Magna Carta 1297 (National Archives, Washington)

Edward I of England · 1297

A parchment document with a dangling wax seal, displayed under glass in a wooden frame inside a case with wood-paneled walls. The seal hangs from the lower edge of the document.Document

Primary source

Magna Carta 1297 (Parliament House, Canberra)

Edward I of England · 1297

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Magna Carta now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions