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Oct 14, 1066
Battle of Hastings
King Harold II was defeated by the Normans, led by William the Conquerer. William introduced feudalism into England. With feudalism, the most important people recieved land or "fiefs" for contributions of soldiers to the military. -
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is a document that barons forced King John to sign. The king promised not to increase feudal dues or other payments to the Crown without consent and to respect various property rights. Today, these rights are enjoyed today by voting on taxes. -
Oct 7, 1295
Model Parliament
The Model Parliament of 1295 was England’s first legally elected legislature. Each county elected two knights, and each borough two burgesses, and each city two citizens. This gave the right to elect people into the government. This right is enjoyed today by being able to elect people into the government. -
Petition of Right
Parliament refused to give subsidies to King Charles I to support the Thirty Years' war. Since there was no income going to the war effort, King Charles made people pay forced loans. The Petition of Right guaranteed that taxes could only be raised by Parliament. These rights are enjoyed today because the monarch cannot simply raise taxes because they feel it is okay to, it has to be okay with the people. -
Habeas Corpus Act
Habeas corpus was first hinted at in the Magna Carta. Habeas corpus literally means "you may have the body." Habeas corpus made imprisonment harder to happen. It made a judge look at cases in which a person was imprisoned, and if deemed not guilty, the imprisoned person is set free. This right is enjoyed today because people are now imprisoned less for things they didn't do, or for no reason at all. -
Glorious Revolution
The glorious revolution of 1688 was the overthrow of King James II. It was also called the bloodless revolution because there was no war. King James II wanted to introduce absolute Catholicism instead of Protestantism. This protected the religion of England. The Glorious Revolution also ensured that the monarch of England now had more lmited power. It made the monarch go through Parliament to get what they want. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was ratified after the Glorious Revolution. It was made to limit the power of the monarch even more, so the monarch could not do what they wanted freely. It was written by Parliament. King William and Queen Mary accepted the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights made sure that the people of England had certain unalienable political and civil rights. This is enjoyed today because it protects the rights of Englishmen and gave the Englishmen new rights.
