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King Charles I Dissolves Parliament a Second Time
Charles wanted funding for a war from Parliament, the only part of English government that could techinically levy taxes. Parliament however wanted Charles to remove the Duke of Buckingham, and to have Charles stop his illegal actions to raise funds (such as forced loans). Charles refused to do either, and so dissolved the Parliament, deciding to rule himself for the next eleven years. This event is important because it shows how the king held nearly all the power and could trample Parliament. -
Charles I summons the Long Parliament
After Charles realized he couldn't pay off his debts for the war with the Scottish without Parliament's help, he summoned them once again. Parliament however, passed the Petition of Right, which said that the King could not dissolve Parliament without Parliamentary consent. This is important because the Parliamentary leverage over the King allowed them to gain an increment of power and maintain their voice in government. -
Charles I Officially Declares War
After failing to try 5 members of Parliament that opposed him and try them for treason, Charles leaves London, raises a Royalist army, and declares war on Parliament. As Parliament would field an opposing army, this was the start of the English Civil War, and was important because it involved the open warfare and conflict between the two arms of government. -
King Charles I is Executed for Treason
After surrendering to the Scots in May of 1946 to end the First English Civil War, Charles made several attempts to regain power. But his plot, which led to the Second English Civil War, caused a Parliament in disarray to finally execute him. This event is of enormous importance because it symbolizes the Parliament's break from a monarchy in the actual act of executing its own king. -
Parliament Declares Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector
After King Charles II fled from Scotland, New Model Army leader Oliver Cromwell returns from crushing Ireland and Scotland into submission to dissolve the Rump Parliament's Commonwealth Government, having himself declared "Lord Protector". This is important because it symbolizes the end of a very short English experiment with a republican form of government. -
King Charles II Brought Back
After Cromwell's death, a short Protectorate by his son Richard, and a short ruling by a reinstated republican Rump Parliament, a popular King Charles II was welcomed back from exile and proclaimed King.This was important because England rejected the unpopular ways of the Protectorate and the short stint of republican government, reembracing the royal monarchy of before as if nothing had happened. -
Glorious Revolution, English Bill of Rights passed
After William of Orange and Mary were invited by Parliament to seize the crown from Catholic King James II, they invaded England and took power in "The Glorious Revolution". By passing the Bill of Rights, which severly limited the monarchy and gave Parliament much more power, the limited monarchy that was long in the making was finally established.
