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1216
Magna Carta
Foundation of liberty that would prevent the king from using his powers in an oppressive and controlling way. This was the first document of England that had any boundaries for the monarchs and would be referenced in later years. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights would reaffirm what was written centuries before in the Magna Carta, by establishing constitutional law within England. It was written to guarantee habeas-corpus and prohibited taxation outside of parliament. Even after king Charles I signed the Petition of Rights, he later also ignored it. However, it was a step in the right direction of limiting the power in a monarchy. -
19 Propositions
As Charles I was not listening to his previous costitional contract the Petition of Rights, the people were outraged and sent him the 19 Propositions which demanded that some things needed to be under parliamentary control for the sake of England. This sought to share bigger government power between the monarchs and parliament, however it was rejected by Charles I. This was the people's' last hope that trying to get through to the king about limited power before the breakout of a war. -
English Civil War
The three main causes of the start of the English Civil War was the unwillingness of Charles I to give up power through his divine right monarchy, the need of parliament to stop the powers of the king and the want of the people to have some division between the governmental powers. The English Civil War was a major factor in trying to limit the power of Charles I and was very powerful in his eventual exile. -
Parliament Restoration
After the leadership of Oliver Cromwell following the English Civil War, parliament moved to restore the monarchy with a more open minded king, Charles II. The English Church was restored and the people of England felt that they had more say in government and were not under the control of Cromwell. While the monarchy was restored, it had happened in a way that allowed for government delegation in roles and led to a good time for the England. -
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution was a step in the right direction to limiting the monarchy as it made parliament the ruling power of England. This was very important to limiting the status of a monarch and to make sure that the checks and balances between governmental powers were followed. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was an act declaring the status of the subjects and the crown. This was super important for the people to list their grievances to the government and make a document which encapsulated all of the issues into one big agreement. The English Bill of Rights was important to limiting the monarchical powers because it was a set in stone list of rules for both citizens and the king to follow. It also explained the repercussions if illegal actions were to be carried out.