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Period: 1200 to
Events Which Leaded England to a Limited Monarchy
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Jun 15, 1215
Authorship of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta, written in 1215 under the rule of King John, (technically it was written by King John's subjects), set the stage for the future limitations of the rulership in England. The Magna Carta states that the king's power was not arbitrary and that all of the English people had certain liberties that the monarchy could not infringe upon. -
Dec 14, 1291
The Establishment of the Parliament
(This one is quite obvious). The House of Parliament, establish on the 14th of December, 1291, is composed of the House of Commons and House of Lords. The Parliament was originally established to act as advisors to the king, but eventually, the Parliament would be the enemies of the monarchy, and challenged the monarchial powers. -
Nov 1, 1534
First Act of Supremacy
Henry VIII (everyone's favourite divorcee) separated England when he decided to sever ties with the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Since, the Pope was no longer the religious ruler, the English government now managed the political and religious authority, which was now the king, but this would become a significant repercussion for the development of a limited monarchy. -
Nov 17, 1558
The Rule of Queen Elizabeth I
The ascent of Queen Elizabeth to the throne, and her glorious rule over England and its colonies marks a time which the foundations for a limited monarch were set. Queen Elizabeth I's rule became an example for how a monarch and Parliament may (to a small extent) work together to rule, especially with the House of Commons. -
Cavaliers Versus the Roundheads: The English Civil War
The English Civil War was fought during all of Charles I's reign. The English Civil War was a conflict between the Parliamentarians, or the "Roundheads", who were ed by Oliver Cromwell and the Royalists, or the "Cavaliers", who were led by King Charles I. The war ended in 1651 with Parliamentarian victory, and England and its colonies became a republican Commonwealth under Cromwell's "dictatorship". This event was a giant victory for the increase in Parliament's power over the monarchy. -
The Rise of William and Mary
William III (Prince of Orange) and Mary II (Queen of England) were put on the throne by Parliament in 1689. The King and Queen replaced James II and his near-absolute monarchy after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Their monarchy helped bring a new cooperation between monarchy and Parliament, which brought in an age of greater freedom and liberty in England. -
The English Bill of Rights
Under William and Mary's rule, their cooperation with the Parliament helped pass the English Bill of Rights, and this document declared that the Parliament was above the monarch in terms of power. This document laid out the liberties English subjects should have and the limitations rulers should have (freedom of speech, the right to petition against a ruler, freedom from royal taxes, etc.) It was now law in England that a monarch needed cooperate with the Parliament.
