A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the recipient admits a limited (or inferior) status within the relationship, and it is within that sense that charters were historically granted, and that sense is retained in modern usage of the term.
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The word entered the English language from the Old French chartre (ultimately from the Latin word for "paper"), but the concept is universal and transcends language. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It has come to be synonymous with the document that lays out the granting of rights or privileges.
Feudal usage
Charters were the fundamental documents of the highly-structured, hierarchical system of Western feudalism. A book of hours is the most common type of surviving Medieval Illuminated manuscript. Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed They were the instruments by which the possessor of a fiefdom (the lord) granted rights to vassals. Under the system of Feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing A vassal (also called feodary or fedary) in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of Medieval Europe, This was typically for land, but might include anything, such as the right to incorporate a town or university, the right to hold a weekly market, or even the right to levy a toll on a road or bridge. There might be a payment specified or constraints applied, or the grant might be outright.
Inter regalia
At the top of the feudal hierarchy was a monarch whose inherent possessions were termed inter regalia (from inter, 'among' and regalia, 'things of the king'). This might include property, privileges, or prerogatives, of which there were two kinds:
- regalia major ('major regalia') - things which are inseparable from the monach, such as the royal crown.
- regalia minor ('lesser regalia') - things which may be conveyed to a subject. The monarch might grant a charter for any regalia minor.
Divisibility
Once a grant was received, its value might be divided repeatedly in succession, each documented in a charter. Thus, a monarch might grant a large section of land to someone of the upper nobility (who was the vassal of the monarch), who might then subdivide the land among several of the lesser nobility (who were vassals to the upper nobility), who might then subdivide their sections of land among several tenants (who were vassals to the lesser nobility). Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime At each stage, the granter might attach conditions, such as requirements for military service, or payment of an annual duty.
Modern usage
As legislative bodies (such as parliaments) gained political power and obtained rights in their own name, they continued the custom of granting charters in the same fashion. TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A parliament is a Legislature, especially in those The only difference was that legislatures now played the role of sovereign. As society has evolved, institutions that were once considered as requiring specific permission (such as towns, schools, and corporations) have become commonplace, and procedures have been streamlined such that if certain pre-specified conditions are met, the institutions are "chartered" almost automatically. That the procedures and conditions are pre-set does not alter the fact that the institutions are operating under a charter no different than if the charter had been specifically crafted for a single case.
Colloquial usages
The term is used for a special case (or as an exception) to an institutional charter. A charter school, for example, is one that has different rules, regulations, and statutes than a public school. Charter schools are elementary or secondary schools in the United States that receive public money but
Charter is sometimes used as a synonym for 'rent' or 'lease', as in the 'charter' of a bus or boat by an organization.
A charter member of an organization is an original member; that is, one who became a member when the organization received its charter.
Any organization with a stated purpose or stated rules might be considered to have a charter, whether sanctioned by others or not.
See also
- Anglo-Saxon Charters
- Charter colony
- Congressional charter
- Municipal charter
- Project charter
- Earth Charter
- Fueros (Spanish version)
- General incorporation law
- Medieval Bulgarian royal charters
- Papal Bull
- Royal Charter
- United Nations Charter
References
Anglo-Saxon Charters are documents from the early medieval period in Britain which typically make a grant of land or record a privilege The British Empire utilized three main types of colonies as it sought to expand its territory to distant parts of the earth A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission authority and activities of a group A city charter or town charter (generically municipal charter) is a legal Document establishing a Municipality such as a City or In Project management, a project charter or project definition (sometimes called the Terms of reference) is a statement of the scope objectives and participants The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental values and principles from Earth Charter International that it considers as necessary for building a just sustainable and peaceful global Fuero ( Spanish) is a Spanish legal term and conceptThe word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market tribunal A general incorporation law allows Corporations to be formed without a Charter from the Legislature. The medieval Bulgarian royal charters are some of the few secular documents of the medieval Bulgarian Empire (7th&ndash11th 12th&ndash15th century A Papal bull is a particular type of Letters patent or charter issued by a Pope. A Royal Charter is a Charter granted by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy council to legitimize an incorporated body such as a city company The United Nations Charter is the Treaty that forms and establishes the International organization called the United Nations.Dictionary
charter
-noun
- a document issued by some authority, creating a public or private institution, and defining its purposes and privileges
- a similar document conferring rights and privileges on a person, corporation etc
- a contract for the commercial leasing of a vessel, or space on a vessel
- the temporary hiring or leasing of a vehicle
- a deed
-adjective
-verb
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