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Magna Carta 1297 (Parliament House, Canberra)

Edward I of England · 1297

A 1297 copy of Magna Carta confirmed by Edward I, purchased by Australia in 1952 and now displayed in Parliament House, Canberra.

This 1297 confirmation copy shows how Magna Carta's authority spread into the constitutional tradition of Commonwealth nations.

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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.
Edward I, confirmation of Magna Carta, 1297. Parliament House, Canberra, Australia.

About this source

What it is

This is a 1297 copy of Magna Carta, confirmed by King Edward I of England, purchased by the Australian government in 1952 from the King's School, Bruton, in Somerset, England. It is displayed in the Members' Hall of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia.

Why it matters

The presence of this medieval English document in the Australian Parliament shows how Magna Carta became part of the inherited constitutional tradition of Commonwealth countries, far beyond England itself. A nearby monument, a gift from the British Government, marks the 700th anniversary of Magna Carta's sealing.

Look closer

  • Why might a country founded centuries after Magna Carta choose to buy and display a medieval copy of it?
  • What does the location, inside a modern parliament building, suggest about how this document is used today?
  • How might the meaning of Magna Carta change as it travels from medieval England to a modern Commonwealth nation?

This document 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.

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