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The Petition of Right
Charles I required the support of Parliament in order to increase taxation to adequately fund the ongoing war with Spain. However, Parliament distrusted the monarchy, and did not sanction further financing than necessary. This drew Charles I to implement royal authority to extort taxation. As a result, Parliament published this petition which stated that there could be no taxation without the consent of Parliament, no quartering of troops in private homes, and noone imprisoned without due cause -
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The Long Parliament
This period of time greatly strengthened the influence of the Parliament as a strong body of governance over the country of England. As a reaction to the growing absolutism that had been in the hand of the monarch, the Parliament decided to meet more frequently and disband courts that furthered royal policies that had not been cleared through the Parliament. In general, this time span reinforced the importance and great influence that ultimately rested in the hands of the Parliament. -
Militia Ordinance
This ordinance was passed by the House of Commons after Charles I began to raise an army to counter the power of Parliament. This document gave Parliament the ability to raise an army of its own. This showed how the Parliament was beginning to adopt many aspects of the powers previously constrained to the divine rights of kings. In its ability to raise an army and fight back against the monarch, Parliament was bit by bit lessening any sense of absolute monarchical control in England. -
Execution of Charles I
After being defeated militarily by the efforts of the Parliament, Charles I floated for a period of time trying to bank on the ultimate dissolution of Parliament. When this did not happen, King Charles I was inevitably set on trial through a special meetin of the court. He was condemned as a public criminal and ultimately was executed. In his execution, the power of the Parliament over the monarch was solidified and served as a warning to future kings. -
Oliver Cromwell
Cromwell was the successor of the throne removed from Charles I. He led the time period of English history known as the Puritan Republic. Although Cromwell lived a full life through his reign and died naturally, his presence on the throne in the first place was a result of Parliamentray control over the working of the monarch. Cromwell himself struggled with the rule of Parliament, even disbanding it at one point, revealing the persistent influence of this body of governance in English politics. -
Charles II and the Restoration of the Monarchy
Charles II seemed to reverse the tides set by the wave of the Puritan Republic and Oliver Cromwell. However, Charles II's overall reign is dominated by a suspicion of the goals of Parliament after dealing with who should succeed the English throne. Charles II lived through parts of his reign without calling Parliament into session, but the reality was that Parliament maintained a threatening influence over the monarch of England. -
The Glorious Revolution
This resulted in the placement of William and Mary on the throne of England. In exchange for this placement, the two monarchs agreed on the Bill of Rights written by Parliament which limited monarchical power in favor of guaranteeing the rights of the English upper classes. Therefore, this moment finalized the state of English monarchs as being subject to the law written by Parliament, which would now permanently meet every three years to keep the monarch in check and reinforce civil liberties
