-
Events Leading to a Limited Monarchy in England
-
This document that was proposed in 1215 was designed to limit the power of the king over the nobility. King John was essentially forced to sign or the nobility would not support him. The document established that the nobility had rights that the Monarchy could not infringe upon.
-
The English Parliament was established under King Edward in 1241 and was composed of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It was originally designed to be advisors to the king but eventually gained enough power that it could keep the king in check.
-
The Petition of Rights was passed in response to Charles I abuse of power. It took away the power of taxation without consent of Parliament, took away the power of the king to directly lead the military, and it took away the power of the king to imprison people without being proven guilty
-
The English civil war was fought between Oliver Cromwell who led the Parliamentarians and King Charles I who led the Royalists. The war ended in 1651 with a victory for the Parliamentarians and England becoming a Commonwealth. England was now led by Cromwell, which was a major shift since before this the king had the most amount of power. The result was the balance shifting from the Monarchy to the Parliament.
-
In 1660 King James II married Anne Hyde, who was a strict Catholic. The Protestants in England were worried since there was a possibility that James would convert England back to Catholicism. The threat of this made the Parliamentarians reduce the king's power further.
-
William III and Mary II were put on the throne by Parliament in 1689, replacing James II. The deal that they made was the monarchy would have less power than before and the parliament would have more. This gave greater freedom and liberty in England.
-
William became the king of England only if he signed a document known as the bill of rights. This document clearly stated that the Parliament was above the King in terms of power. The document addressed freedom of speech, right to petition the monarch without punishment. This document completely solidified that the Parliament was the dominant power in England.
