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Period: Jan 1, 1200 to
1200-1700
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Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta
In 1215, English nobles forced the King (King John) to sign the Magna Carta. This documant was inteneded to limit the Kings power and was one of the first steps to limited monarchy. Although, at the time it was signed the Magna Carta did not have an immediate effect, but by the time of the English Civil War many saw it has a symbol that a king was bound by law and had limited power. (The picture is a colored wooden engraving of King John signing the Magana Carta (from wikki commons)) -
Jan 1, 1216
Death of King John
When King John of England died, his heir to the throne was his infant child, Henry III. Leading nobles and clergyman governed for Henry III. Prior to this parliaments were only summoned when to raise taxes, however while Henry III was a child many other people in England had a hand in governing. As Henry III gre older, his goal was to bring England to an absolute monarchy, however he did not succeed. -
Jan 1, 1376
The Good Parliament
During the Good Parliament several of Kign Edward's ministers were impeached. Sir Peter de la Mare, presiding officer of the Lower House, spoke out against heavy taxes and demanded that there was an account of royal expenditure be kept. Although, Mare was imprisoned after this, he was released after Edwards death and this was a step forward for Parliament and a step towards limited monarchy because it showed that Parliament would not let the monarchs do whatever they wished. -
The Petition of Rights
This act further limited the power of th king and gave more power to Parliament. In the Petition of Rights, the king was prohibited from raising taxes without going through Parliament among many other things. -
The Execution of Charles I
It seems that few people remember that England too, executed one of their kings. The people ere clearly showing that they were not going to stand for absolute monarchy and by executing King Charles I they were clearly rejecting absolute monarchy. -
The Habeas Corpus Act
The Habeas Corpus Act said that any person who was taken prisoner by the King would have a trial. This stopped the king from putting all of his enemies in jail. The picture for this event is Parliaments symbol because Parliament was responsable for the Habeas Corpus Act, which showed the king that he did not have absolute power. -
The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights gave much more power to Parliamnet and greatly reduced the Kings power. The Bill of Rights incudes many things and among them was that no royal power could interfere with the law. The English Bill of Rights was truly the start of constitutional government in England
