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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 it is that sense which is retained in modern usage of the term. In early medieval Britain, charters transferred land from donors to recipients.

The word entered the English language from the Old French charte, via Latin charta, and ultimately from Greek χάρτης (khartes, meaning "layer of papyrus"). It has come to be synonymous with a document that sets out a grant of rights or privileges.

Other usages

The term is used for a special case (or as an exception) of an institutional charter. A charter school, for example, is one that has different rules, regulations, and statutes from a state school.

Charter can be used as a synonym for "hire" or "lease", as in the "charter" of a bus, boat or plane.

A charter member (US English) of an organization is an original member; that is, one who became a member when the organization received its charter. A chartered member (British English) is a member who holds an individual chartered designation authorized under that organization's royal charter.

Different types of charters

Anglo-Saxon charters

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Anglo-Saxon charters are documents from the early medieval period in Britain which typically make a grant of land or record a privilege. They are usually written on parchment, in Latin but often with sections in the vernacular, describing the bounds of estates, which often correspond closely to modern parish boundaries. The earliest surviving charters were drawn up in the 670s; the oldest surviving charters granted land to the Church, but from the 8th century surviving charters were increasingly used to grant land to lay people.

Charter colony

The British Empire used three main types of colonies as it sought to expand its territory to distant parts of the earth. These three types were royal colonies, proprietary colonies, and corporate colonies. A charter colony by definition is a "colony chartered to an individual, trading company, etc., by the British crown." Although charter colonies were not the most prevalent of the three types of colonies in the British Empire, they were by no means insignificant.

Congressional charter

A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority, and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code.

Municipal charter

A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which they are located. Often, this event is marked by the award or declaration of a municipal charter, a term used because municipal power was historically granted by the sovereign, by royal charter.

Order charter

Charters for chivalric orders and other orders, such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

v t e Phaleristics
Auxiliary science of history and numismatics about orders, decorations, and medals
Distinctions (Lists)	By conferee Founts of honour* States and their national/public/official authorities Dynasties heads of currently or formerly sovereign royal families Private Ecclesiastical Organisations Commercial (Self-styled order) By type Orders Order of chivalry Military order Colonial order Order of merit Royal family order Titles (Styles, Post-nominal) By function Grand master Chancellor Treasurer Assessor Bailiff Prior Chaplain Master of ceremonies Grand Cross/Grand Cordon Commander Officer Hospitaller Knight/Dame Postulant Squire Page Jurisdictions Charter Bailiwick Chapter Commandery Obedience Grand Lodge Lodge Others, by field Military (List) List of highest Campaign medal Law enforcement Civilian (List) Society Peace Intellectual freedom Human rights Law Humanitarianism Politics Volunteer Culture Architecture Art Film History Literature Music Philosophy Poetry Theatre Science Religion-related Ecclesiastical Sports Scouting Beauty By insignia (Named after people) For wearing (decorations) Formal Collar Grand Cross/Grand Cordon with sash Medal Necklet Medal bar Medal ribbon Other Rosette Award pin Lapel pin Collar pin Tie pin Badge Heraldic Pilgrim Epaulette Ribbon Ring Button Campaign Service Shoulder mark Prizes Trophy War Plaquette Rosette Money Prizes known as the Nobel of a field
Ceremonies and events	Accolade Vigil Feoffment Passage fee Festival Vow Collar day
Related organisations	Fraternity Confraternity Fraternal order Fraternities and sororities Secret society Guild Syndicate Learned society Fellowship Honor society Hereditary society Club Gentlemen's club International Commission for Orders of Chivalry Magical organization Religious order
Related concepts	Chivalry Numismatics Heraldry Vexillology Service flag Battle honour Campaign streamer Nobility Order of precedence Honorary degree Devotional medal Awareness ribbon Code of conduct Code of honor High society
* = Direct or indirect reference to fount of honour is the accepted criterion for official distinctions Category:Orders, decorations, and medals Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Orders, decorations, and medals Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Awards

Project charter

In project management, a project charter or project definition (sometimes called the terms of reference) is provided by the sponsor to formally authorize the existence of a project. It provides a preliminary delineation of roles and responsibilities, outlines the project purpose and objectives, identifies key stakeholders, and defines the authority of the project manager. It serves as a reference of authority for future planning of the project. The project scope is developed from the project charter.

Royal charter

In medieval Europe, royal charters were used to create cities (i.e., localities with recognised legal rights and privileges). The date that such a charter was granted is considered to be when a city was "founded", regardless of when the locality originally began to be settled.

The Charter of 1814, France's constitution during the Bourbon Restoration, was thus called to promote the legal fiction that the King had granted it "voluntarily, and by the free exercise of royal authority", in the manner of medieval charters.

At one time a royal charter was the only way in which an incorporated body could be formed, but other means (such as the registration process for limited companies) are generally now used instead.

University charter

A university charter is a charter issued to create or recognise a university. The form of charter used varies by period and jurisdiction.

Inspeximus charter

A charter of "Inspeximus" (Latin, literally "We have inspected") is frequently a royal charter, by which an earlier charter or series of charters relating to a particular foundation (such as a monastery or a guild) was recited and incorporated into a new charter, usually in order to confirm and renew its validity under present authority. Where the original documents are lost, an inspeximus charter may sometimes preserve their texts and lists of witnesses.

Corporate charter

See Articles of association.

Uprising charter

In the context of a political uprising, a charter might lay out the basic principles and goals of the movement, define the organizational structure of the movement, and describe the roles and responsibilities of its members.

See also

• Articles of association
• Atlantic Charter
• Certificate of incorporation
• Charter Roll
• Charter school
• Chartered company
• Collegium
• Earth Charter
• Freedom Charter
• Fueros (Spanish version)
• General incorporation law
• Magna Carta
• Medieval Bulgarian royal charters
• Papal Bull
• United Nations Charter

References

1. "charter". Lexico. Oxford University Press. 2. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
2. "charter member". Lexico. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
3. "chartered". Lexico. Oxford University Press. 1.1. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
4. "Royal Charters". Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
5. charter colony - Definitions from Dictionary.com
6. Phyllis Riddle (Spring 1993). "Political Authority and University Formation in Europe, 1200-1800". Sociological Perspectives. 36 (1). SAGE Publications: 49–50. doi:10.2307/1389441. JSTOR 1389441. S2CID 143493887.
7. Political Documents - Iranian Scholars for Liberty

Further reading

• Kemp,Roger L., "Model Government Charters: A City, County, Regional, State, and Federal Handbook", McFarland and Co., Inc., Publisher, Jefferson, NC, and London, ENG (2007). (ISBN 978-0-7864-3154-0).
• Kemp, Roger L., "Documents of American Democracy: A Collection of Essential Works", McFarland and Co., Inc., Jefferson, NC, and London, ENG. (2010). (ISBN 978-0-7864-4210-2).

External links

• Media related to Charters at Wikimedia Commons
• The dictionary definition of charter at Wiktionary

• Political charters
• Contract law
• Feudalism
• Legal documents
• Organizational documents
• Real property law