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Jun 15, 1215
Imposition of the Magna Carta
Following a series of rebellions by discontented barons, King John was pressured into signing the Magna Carta, a document which granted the nobility key legal protections. These included limitations on feudal dues, protection from unwarranted imprisonment, and protection of Church land. These rights ensured that the English monarch was not all-powerful, and that his power was checked by the nobility and the Church. -
Jan 20, 1265
Founding of Bicameral Parliament
The House of Lords was arguably established several decades prior, however, with the introduction of the House of Commons, the people now had the chance to voice their opinions and petitions. Parliament would become the controllers of the Royal Purse, which went on to cause a great deal of trouble for later monarchs. -
1534
Acts of Succession (1534, 1536, 1544).
Because of the fact Henry's progeny all came from different wives, the order of succession remained unclear. Parliament took it upon themselves to determine the order of succession, a subtle move which helped to increase their power and take away from the monarchy. It represents the abandonment of the idea that the kingdom was the King's property, instead, the people and lords shared dominion over the realm. -
English Civil War (1642-1651)
The Civil War proved that the idea that disobeying the monarch was tantamount to religious blasphemy no longer held sway in England. The Parliamentarians launched a brutal campaign against the monarch over disputes with his governance of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the unorthodox means Charles used to obtain these policies. It established the idea that Parliament could not be subverted, that it, in fact, was supreme. -
Murder of King Charles I
This represented perhaps the firmest violation of the sovereignty of the monarch. It was no longer the monarch who had the power to "make and unmake," as James I and VI put it, but the Parliament. The execution of this power not only extended to the common people, but to the very monarch himself, who was allegedly God's instrument on earth. -
Restoration of the Stuart Monarchy
After a decade of "republican" chaos in England and exile for Charles II, the Parliament essentially invited Charles to come back and rule their country. Charles, however, had to agree to the stipulations laid forth by the Parliament, notably the pardoning of traitors involved in the Civil War and religious toleration for Scottish Presbyterians. Again, Parliament, while appearing to give way to the monarch, was really in charge, pulling the strings from the shadows. -
The Glorious Revolution and the Installation of William and Mary
The Parliament would not stand for King James II and VII's Catholicism, so they invited the Protestant heir presumptive, Mary, and her husband, William the Duke of Orange, to wrest the crown from him. This action cemented, firstly, the firmly Protestant nature of Great Britain, but also made Parliament the de facto kingmakers of the realm. The new King and Queen owed their appointments solely to the Parliament, which meant, in effect, Parliament ruled over them, ending monarchical rule forever