royal charters
Monarchical founding documents
Royal charters are formal documents issued by a monarch granting specific rights, privileges, or status to individuals, corporations, or institutions.
Historically, they established colonies, cities, and trading companies: The Virginia Company operated under royal charter.
Today they mainly confer prestige on universities, professional bodies, and charities: The BBC holds a royal charter.
The plural form; singular is royal charter.
- Magna CartaCharter curbing royal authority
- British CrownUK sovereign authority
- guildsCraftsmen's mutual aid societies
- land grantsGovernment-awarded real estate parcels
- letters of marqueState license to raid enemies
sea voyages · common law · colonies · colonial administration · corporations · universities · proclamation · feudalism · territorial claims · mercantilism · Hudson's Bay Company · constitutional law · charter · East India Company · sovereignty · Tudor dynasty · exploration · decree
- historical recordsdiary, census record, annual reviews, letter, government records
- trade historycommerce, merchant, trade routes, traders, colonial economy
- charterscity charter, colonial charter, town charter, founding charter, school charter
- City of LondonCity of London, Guildhall, Lord Mayor, livery companies, aldermen
- colonial recordsland records, colonial maps, military records, land deeds, property deeds
- legal documentscontract, affidavit, deed, will, subpoena
royal charterslegislative acts
Formal laws from lawmakers
acts of parliament · executive orders · constitutional amendments · constitutional provisions · citizen initiatives
royal charterssquatter settlements
Unauthorized improvised housing communities
informal agreements · grassroots movements · handshake deals · underground movements