Great Charter of Brytene
| The Great Charter of Brytene | |
|---|---|
| File:Great Charter of Brytene.jpg The 'Royal Copy' | |
| Created | 11th February, 1752 |
| Ratified | 10th March, 1752 |
| Location | Castle Oakhall, Lundene |
| Author(s) | King Uhtred X of Brytene |
| Signatories | King Einar of Dyflin Lord Ealdorman Kia of Wesseax Eorl Tostig of Nortymba Eorl Tamrene of Susseax Eorl Klargus of Anglaland |
| Purpose | Constitution of Brytene |
The Great Charter of Brytene is a historic document written in 1752 in Lundene, Brytene. It lays out the laws and principles of Brytene, as well as clarifying the governmental structure of the nation and the rights of individual citizens. It was drawn up by the Thegn Rede and signed by King Uhtred X, as well as his Witenagmot.
The most famous copy is the 'Royal Copy', kept in Castle Oakhall. The Charter is still in force today, although several amendments have been made and the Charter is supplemented by common law decisions made in the Rihtgemot.
History
In the 18th Century, pressure was mounting for Brytene to modernise. Rather than risk civil conflict, the Thegn Rede at the time resolved to create a written constitution for the nation, clarifying the rights and responsibilities of every Brytisc citizen and person. The document was begun in February of 1752 and took a month to complete, during which time complex discussions took place in the Thegn Rede and Witenagmot.
Eventually it was agreed that King Uhtred X would be allowed to remain King for the rest of his natural-born life regardless of the charter, but that the remainder of the points would come into effect within a year of its signature. It was signed and ratified on the 10th of March of that year.
Contents
The Great Charter is some 200 pages long, and contains a variety of laws regarding individual liberties, the law, and governmental structure. TBC.
Copies
There are multiple reproductions of the Great Charter, but four initial copies were made.
- The 'Royal Copy', located in Castle Oakhall
- The 'People's Copy', located in the Brytisc National Library
- The 'Thegn's Copy', located in the Allthing
- The 'Elder's Copy', destroyed during the First Great War