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The English Parliament was one of the first bodies to check the power of the government. It is made up of two houses, the House of Lords with the nobles and aristocracy and the House of Commons with the common people and peasants.
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In order to strength the power of the monarch, Charles I raised funds by going around Parliament through tariffs and taxes. Parliament forced him to sign the Petition of Right which gave Parliament the power to approve any forced loans or taxes, insured that freemen would not be imprisoned without due cause, and stopped the quartering of soldier in private homes. Charles soon dissolved Parliament and became sole ruler of England
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After dissolving Parliament due to arguments in 1629, Charles I reconvenes the body in response to Scottish unrest. He needed money to continue to fight against Scottish rebels who disagreed with religious restriction Charles instituted.
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Under Oliver Cromwell's leadership Parliament and the Puritans won the war. Cromwell's government abolished the monarchy and placed himself and Parliament in complete control of the country. While it was called a republic, Cromwell's leadership in the government wa similar to that of a king.
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When Charles II became king his reinstated the monarchy and the House of Lords. He also agreed to provisions by Parliament to limit his power and honored the pacts his father made.
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The English people invited Mary II, James II's daughter, and her husband William III of Orange, a Dutch prince because they were were firmly protestant. Their rule would initiate a series of reforms that granted Parliament more power over the monarchy.
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Rulers William III and Mary II recognized a Bill of Rights that solidified the power of Parliament and insured the liberties of the wealthy class. Parliament became officially more powerful than the monarch.
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In his extremely influential book John Locke describes the purpose of government as it pertains to its citizens. It gave power over the government to the governed, not the governing. His complete renouncement of an absolute monarchy and his message of self-government would permeate through England.
