-
1215
Writing and Signing of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a document that stated that every person was subject to the law, including the King, and had the right to a fair trial. This was also the gathering of the very first English Parliament to finalize and sign the document. This was the first step to having a limited monarchy in England. Above you will see a wood engraving of King John signing the Magna Carta. -
1517
The Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation is the next big step in England having a limited monarchy because this lead to King Henry VIII breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church and creating his new church in order to marry Anne Boleyn. In doing this Henry VIII took England one step closer to a change in government because of the steps his daughter Elizabeth I would follow. Above is a picture of Henry VIII with Elizabeth I and Edward VI -
1558
Reign of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I was able to restore England's government to stability after the wavering reigns of her father and siblings. Elizabeth I reigned as a Protestant Queen, however, she did believe that Catholics and Protestants were of the same faith. In her ruling, this brought much more conflict over the land due to the mixing of Catholics and Protestants, which eventually led to England's Civil War. -
The Petition of Right
This was a statement of civil liberties that was sent to Charles I by parliament because of his actions as king were infringing upon the citizens' civil rights. This document limited the king's taxation as well as his ability to imprison people without a fair trial. This document was the document prior to the Bill of Rights. -
England's Civil War
England's Civil War was caused because of the dispute about its governance. It began with a disagreement between Charles I and Parliament. The war ended with Charles' defeat and execution, and a parliamentarian win over the King. This was clearly the next step to England's limited monarchy because parliament had won over the king. Above you can see an image of Charles I demanding entrance at the Beverly Gate. -
James II and the Glorious Revolution
James II ruled England as a Roman Catholic, so he was commonly disliked for his attempts to revert Protestant England back to Roman Catholic. This led to the Glorious Revolution which lasted for about a year and resulted in the permanent realignment of power within England. This event led to people wanted the King to have limited power. This event also led to the reign of William and Mary. -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights established a constitutional monarchy within England. The first part of this document settled that William and Mary were the rightful successors to the throne, the rest of the document set out certain rights of the people, such as their freedoms to petition the King and not have any cruel or unusual punishments. This reinforced what the Petition of Rights originally stated as well as limiting the powers of the king and establishing powers between the king and parliament.
