Magna Carta

Four surviving 1215 exemplifications are held by the British Library (two), Salisbury Cathedral, and Lincoln Cathedral. The Lincoln copy traveled to the United States for exhibitions, including a display at the Library of Congress. The British Library's two were reunited in 2015 for the 800th anniversary.

Four exemplifications of the original June 1215 Magna Carta are known to survive from the original run, with the earliest held at Salisbury Cathedral. Later reissues from the reigns of Henry III, such as the 1225 and 1297 versions, are more numerous. The 1297 statute version is held at the US National Archives in Washington, DC.

Rebellious English barons who had captured London compelled John to affix his seal at Runnymede, a meadow on the Thames near Windsor, in June 1215. Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton helped negotiate between the sides. The feudal crisis was driven by heavy taxation from John's failed campaigns in Normandy.

Only three clauses of the 1297 version remain on the English statute book, including the famous clause protecting the rights of the English Church. The most cited clause, guaranteeing judgment by one's peers, remains part of English law. Most feudal provisions were repealed by 19th-century legislation.