7.3 Seven Steps to a Limited Monarchy

By kpark2021

  • Begin of the English Civil War

    This conflict was the result of a power struggle between King Charles I and Parliament over control of the military needed to control the Scots’ rebellion. It ended with parliamentary victory on September 3, 1651.

  • Execution of Charles I

    After the English Civil Wars and the Eleven Years’ Tyranny, King Charles I was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. Charles was neither the first nor the last ruler to try for absolutism and act independently from Parliament. Charles's reign added to Parliament's urgency to secure and stabilize their influence in the government.

  • The Habeas Corpus Act

    This act required any accused persons to be brought to court for a trial before they were convicted or imprisoned. Monarchs could no longer legally imprison whomever they wished the way King Charles I arrested members of the House of Commons for speaking against his political ally.

  • John Locke's Two Treatises of Government

    John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government is published in this year. In this work on political philosophy, Locke denounces the divine right of kings by presenting the idea that men are free and equal by nature along with the natural rights of men (to life, liberty and property).

  • End of the Glorious Revolution

    The Glorious (or Bloodless) Revolution’s end marked the beginning of England as a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the King maintained influence but the nation was now largely controlled by Parliament. Began in 1688.

  • The English Bill of Rights

    Signed by William III and Mary II, this act set the stage for England’s constitutional monarchy, giving Parliament power over the English monarchs and establishing constitutional and civil rights in 13 articles of freedom.

  • The Act of Settlement

    This Act strengthened the Bill of Rights and further weakened English monarchs while parliamentary power increased. Some important points of the Act are as follows: no monarch may declare war without Parliament’s approval, Parliament has the power to name a monarch's heir to the throne, and a ruling monarch must not be Catholic.

  • The Act of Settlement

    This Act strengthened the Bill of Rights and further weakened English monarchs while parliamentary power increased. Some important points of the Act are as follows: no monarch may declare war without Parliament’s approval, Parliament has the power to name a monarch's heir to the throne, and a ruling monarch must not be Catholic.