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1215
Great Councils
From the early 11th century to about 1215, England was ruled by an absolute monarchy, made up by an advisory of noblemen and other royals. This was known as a Great Council and would aid the Crown in governing. When this system of ruling would break down, do to disagreements either internal or external, the government would come to a screeching halt. The shift from a simple council to a more powerful parliament came about around 1215 when King John was in power. -
Oct 19, 1216
King Henery III
In 1216, King John died and was succeeded by his son, Henry III. Because of his young age, parliament stepped in to rule until he was of age. This gave parliament more power than ever before and from then on, parliaments were more involved in England's governing. Before this time, parliament was normally called in when the king needed help making a decision or helping institute and collect taxes. But after the Magna Carta limited a king's power, parliaments became more prominent. -
Aug 22, 1485
Tudor Monarchy
The Tudor monarchy was one of the most powerful ruling bodies, throughout their rule, parliament began to take shape into what it is today. When Henry VII was in power, there were two levels of parliament, the Upper and Lower Chambers. Monarchs would make their intentions clear to both chambers and open parliament whenever they needed to raise funds or propose bills. -
King James I and King Charles I
When King James I came to power in England, he had ruled Scotland for 20 years and was quite used to having absolute control. The strong presence of the English parliament threw James. He at first struggled with this concept, but thankfully, James was not quick to anger and was able to adapt. But many members of parliament began to grow wary of the monarch. James wanted to further unite England with Scotland, along with Ireland. Parliament feared this would break the relative calm. -
Englsih Civil War
The English Civil War took place during Charles I rule, it was a long conflict between supporters of parliament and those in favor of the Crown. It ended with the execution of Charles I, and the decision that the Crown cannot rule without the consent of Parliament. The war cemented the fact that the Crown and Parliament had to join together for the betterment of England. -
The Restoration
Charles II returns to England after being exiled to properly reign as King and end the military rule that had taken place the last 11 years. This abolished the Cromwell agenda and reinstated peoples' faith in the Crown. -
The Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution started with the overthrowing of Catholic Tyrant King James II, instating William III and Mary II as monarchs. This also introduced the Bill of Rights on Dec, 16th 1689, which created a joint monarchy so William and Mary could rule together and gave the parliament more power over the Crown, in order to keep monarchs in check.
