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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
King John of England was a harsh ruler and resorted to severe punishments and issued heavy taxes on the people. Soon the nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, this document limited the rule of the monarch and gave the people of England the right to trial by jury and due process of the law. The Magna Carta was one of the first documents that limited the government and set the basis for other similar documents to follow. Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3 -
Nov 17, 1558
The Reign of Queen Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth was the last monarch who was able to rule with Parliament efficiently. She allowed Parliament to be involved in gov't matters and because she was a good ruler, the people followed her. Since she was not an absolute monarch, the Englsih people got used to a form of gov't where the leader didn't have full control. This allowed for the a desire of limited monarchy to develop.
Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Queen_Elizabeth_I_by_George_Gower.jpg -
King James I and the Divine Right
King James embraced the idea of the Divine Right of Rulers; that the right to rule was a gift from God. James wanted absolute control of England and he didn't consult at all with Parliament. When Parliament refused to fund James, he dissolved them and impose very high taxes. Because of James dictator-like rule the English began to dislike absolute monarchy.
Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/King_James_I_of_England_and_VI_of_Scotland_from_NPG.jpg -
King Charles I Against Puritans/Parliament
King Charles I, son of King James I was for Divine Right and was not tolerant of other religions. He was against the Puritans, a religious group who sought to "purify" the Church of England. Charles also dissolved Parliament when they refused to fund his war with France/Spain. Because of this, the English were tired of absolute monarchs and looked for a new form of gov't.
Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Charles_I_memorial.jpg -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right was written to limit the monarch's power. The King could no longer punish a citizen without a lawful trial. This document challenged the divine rights of monarchs. King Charles I was forced to sign it by Parliament. This signaled the increased dissatisfaction of the people with their monarch and helped to progress to the upheaval of their government.
Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/King_Charles_I_%28van_Dyck%29.jpg -
The Glorious Revolution
Under King Charles II England was at peace with a Constitutional Monarchy. then King James II came into power and he ruled as an absolute monarch and only favored Catholicism. Parliament was anxious to get rid of him, but he soon gave up the throne and Mary II and William III peacefully came into power. This quiet exchange was called the Glorious Revolution and led to limited gov't in England.
Image Source:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/William_and_Mary.jpg -
English Bill of Rights
This document was written up by Parliament to prevent abuse from future monarchs. It guaranteed rights like; right to a fair trial, freedom from cruel/unusual punishment. It also ensured that Parliament would always have a say in gov't matters. It limited the power of the monarch and gave more authority to Parliament. Because of the Bill of Rights, England was able to get rid of absolute monarchy and move to limited monarchy.
image source: http://www.orangeordersouthernengland.org/bill_o1.jpg
