Magna Carta 1215, French translation (MC 1215 Fr)
This vernacular translation of the 1215 version of Magna Carta survives in a cartulary of the lepers‘ hospital of St Giles at Pont-Audemer in Normandy. It was copied into the cartulary sometime between 1219 and 1226. This particular version of Magna Carta was created to facilitate publication of the charter in Hampshire, where it was distributed by the steward of the archbishop of Canterbury, Elias of Dereham. The survival of this vernacular version is a significant piece of evidence showing how the content of Magna Carta was made known to the wider political community in England.
Contents
Print editions
- J. C. Holt, 'A Verncaular-French Text of Magna Carta 1215’, English Historical Review, 89 (1974), 346–64.
Manuscripts
- Rm: Rouen, Bibliothèque municipale, MS Y. 200, fos. 81r-87v
description & facsimiles