royal charter

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, university or such. A Royal Charter is a kind of letters patent. In medieval Europe, cities were the only place where it was legal to conduct commerce, and Royal Charters were the only way to establish a city. The year a city was chartered is considered the year the city was "founded", irrespective of whether there was settlement there before. A Royal Charter can also create or give special status to an incorporated body. It is an exercise of the Royal Prerogative.
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Noun
1. a charter granted by the sovereign (especially in Great Britain)
(hypernym) charter
(hyponym) Magna Carta, Magna Charta, The Great Charter
(classification) United Kingdom, UK, Great Britain, GB, Britain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland