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Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta enabled the church to be free from influence from the monarchy, as well as the people of England to be free from any excessive taxes, and the right to own and inherit property. This limited the power of the monarchy from dominating both the religious and daily aspects the peoples' lives. -
Dec 14, 1241
Creation of Parliament
The Parliament limited the monarch's power, in the sense that they had to agree on certain terms and laws, before they were passed. This stopped the monarchy from acting and doing as they pleased. -
English Civil War
The English Civil War resulted in the defeat of the Royalists, at the hands of the Parliamentarians. This weakened the power of the monarchy, as the Parliament had now gained the upper hand, and even resulted in England becoming a republican Commonwealth from 1649-1653. -
Execution of King Charles I
King Charles I's unwillingness to cooperate with the Parliament, led to his execution. He felt that as a monarch, all the power should belong to him, rather than splitting it with the Parliament. He even tried to give taxes without the Parliament's consent. Charles went further by refusing the constitutional monarchy. This eventually ended in his execution, which further weakened the power had by the monarchy in the eyes of the people, limiting its power in the long run. -
Glorious Revolution of 1688
The Glorious Revolution enabled a constitutional monarchy to be made in which the monarchy was restricted by the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701. These bills further restricted the absolute power the monarch would have wielded, giving more freedom to the people and more limitations to the monarch. -
Rule of Mary II and William of Orange
Under the rule of Mary II and William of Orange, there was peace between Parliament and the monarchy. This enabled parliament efficiently limit the monarchy's power, as they had to agree together, taking away the absolute power away from the monarchy. This was a large contrast to the ultimate power wielded by James II. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of rights essentially put into print that the power of Parliament was above the monarchy. By having Mary and William sign it, it solidified the liberties owed to the subjects of England and the limitations the monarchs had in their rule.