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Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215, and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions that omit certain temporary provisions, including the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority. The charter first passed into law in 1225. The 1297 version, with the long title (originally in Latin) The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, and of the Liberties of the Forest, still remains on the statute books of England and Wales.
The 1215 Charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties, and accept that his will was not arbitrary, for example by explicitly accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land, a right which is still in existence today.
Magna Carta was the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects, the feudal barons, in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. It was preceded and directly influenced by the 1100 Charter of Liberties, when King Henry I had specified particular areas where his powers would be limited.
The cornerstone contains a rock picked from the field of Runnymede, near the Queen’s home at Windsor Castle, where the Magna Carta was signed in 1215.
“That document was itself a cornerstone of democratic rights and gave rise to the rule of constitutional law that now flourishes across the English-speaking world,” the Queen told the thousands who came to see her and hear homegrown acts such as Chantal Kreviazuk.
“Here at The Forks, the symbolism of Magna Carta is now joined to the historical importance of the site where aboriginal peoples have gathered for thousands of years to exchange views and resolve conflicts.”
Moments after she walked off the stage, the rain that had been threatening all day finally broke free of the clouds and pelted the crowd. Umbrellas popped and many decided the Queen had been the main attraction and left for drier ground.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also flew in for the cornerstone ceremony for Canada’s newest museum, which isn’t expected to be completed until 2012. It was the brainchild of the late Izzy Asper, who founded the now defunct Canwest Global media empire.
A CUSTOM TIME CAPSULE, CREATED BY 3DS AND INSTALLED BY THE QUEEN, HERSELF: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke Of Edinburgh were the first passengers to arrive at the Winnipeg Airport’s new terminal, on July 3rd, 2010. She came with a special mission for the Manitoba youth of 2060: as a key part of the terminal‘s dedication ceremony, the Queen signed an official letter to the coming generations, then placed the letter into a gold-plated tube, with a rose of exquisite hand-blown glass. These were sealed into a time capsule, to be reopened in the year 2060.
This complex, exacting piece of custom fabrication is the kind of challenging project 3DS has become famous for. A unique and unusual artifact, the Royal Time Capsule had to represent no less than the throne of England. Its aesthetics had to be timeless, with a design compelling in both present and future times. Most important, the time capsule had to be brand new and function perfectly, after fifty years sealed into an impenetrable compartment.
Only 3DS could fill a demanding order like this. The artifact was Designed by Stantec Engineering and was executed by 3DS, at the very highest level of precision and craft. The Time Capsule itself is a two-foot glass cylinder, and securely contains the delicate hand-blown Queen’s Rose, along with the official letter, inside a solid stainless steel housing. The Royal Crest is laser-etched indelibly into the housing’s surface and the entire assemblage measures five feet in length. In one of the terminal’s concrete structural columns, a cutaway has been made, to contain and protect the time capsule, as it awaits its unveiling by Manitoba’s youth of tomorrow.