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Magna Carta, signed in 1215 by King John. This document was written so the king and their government understand that they are not above the law. This document also prevented the king from abusing his power and placed a limit on the royal authority as this document pretty much became a law set in place for the government and king to follow. (This was also the time at which the English Parliament was established) -
The Divine Right of Kings was an idea/concept that was used to justify why absolute monarchy should be allowed and why the King should have no limit on his power. -
This civil war was between the Parliament and the Royalists. The cause of the English Civil War was that King Charles I believed that he had the same divine rights as God. His reasoning behind all his decisions is that since he is above everyone like God is, no one must question him and his decisions which then led to the English Civil War as many people weren't happy with him. In 1649, the victorious Parliamentarians sentenced Charles I to death and thus ended the English Civil War. -
Thomas Hobbes's beliefs are similar to those of previous English Monarchs who wanted an absolute monarchy as Hobbes says having an absolute sovereignty is better than having a constitutional one. Hobbes's beliefs and ideas were later contradicted by John Locke, however, Hobbes's writing shows an example of exactly what the previous English monarchs were thinking of. The Parliament also wasn't really happy about this since they wanted more power than the King. -
James II married Anne Hyde on September 3, 1660.
Anne Hyde - Catholic
His religion changed from Protestantism to Catholicism after being influenced by Anne, his wife. This later soured his relations with the Parliament, the Church of England, and the nation when he became king in 1685. Because of his conversion to Catholicism, his political decisions. The Parliament and people also didn't like him because of his support to the Catholic religion.
James II converted to Catholicism in 1669 -
The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Bloodless Revolution, occurred in England in 1688, during this time, the King of England was a Catholic, King James II. He was exiled in 1688 and the English throne was then taken over by his daughter, Mary II who was a Protestant, and her husband William III, also known as William of Orange or the Prince of Orange. This revolution established the Parliament as the ruling power of the country and later on, the United Kingdom shifted to const. monarchy. -
The Two Treatises of Government was written by John Locke, which talked about how every individual has natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Locke's political theory refutes the idea of the Divine Rights of Kings and says that if any rulers were to fail to protect these rights of the people, they may be removed from power by the people, by force if necessary. He also stated that the government should have a limit to its power over the citizens and should be able to be overthrown. -
The English Bill of Rights, signed by King William III and Queen Mary II was an act that was signed to become a law in 1689. This bill was like a framework that outlined all the specific constitutional rights of the people. Which ultimately gave the Parliament more power over the monarchy later on in history.