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Oct 13, 1066
William the Conqueror's Conquest of England
William the Conqueror established an absolute rule of the Crown once he controlled England after being victorious at Hastings and crowned on December 25, 1066. He limited the power of the nobles in England by only allowing the earls to have control of one shire each and brought the English shires under central control. Establised the government that would later be limited by later generations.
Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_the_Conqueror_invades_England.jpg -
Jun 15, 1215
The Signing of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was written by King John’s feudal barons, who forced him to sign it. The Magna Carta stated that the English subjects had certain rights that could not be violated and presented the idea that the king’s actions and decisions could not be arbitrary. This event is significant because it was the first time that a group subjects in England forced their king to accept limitations to his powers. Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magna_carta_1297_high-res.png -
Long Parliament
Charles I called Parliament into session to raise funds for the Second Bishops' War against Scotland. In its duration, members of Parliament increased the power of Parliament by passing an act that forbid its dissolution without its members' consent, made it necessary for Parliament to meet requently and broke down many of the monarchy council systems that had been set up under the Tudors and Stuarts. Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LongParliament.jpg -
The Execution of Charles I
Charles I was sentenced to death by specially appointed high court of justice on Jan. 20, 1649. He was charged with high treason and went to his death denoted as a murderer, public enemy, traitor and tyrant. Charles I was the first English monarch to be tried for treason and executed for treason. This occasion forever severely limited the power of the British monarchy.
Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_I_(Daniel_Mytens).jpg -
The Rule of Oliver Cromwell as the Lord Protector of the Common Wealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
Though supportive of degrees of religious tolerance, the rule of Oliver Cromwell is often marked as that of a dictator. He forced members of Parliament to sign an agreement to be faithful to a ruler of the Commonwealth, if they wished to remain members of Parliament. Then as soon he was able to legally, Cromwell dissolved Parliament, thus effectively limiting the power of the people. Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oliver_Cromwell_Gaspard_de_Crayer.jpg -
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The Rule of Oliver Cromwell as the Lord Protector of the Common Wealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
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Charles II restored to the throne of England.
After the Commonwealth of England experiment began to deteriorate after the death of Cromwell, the Convention Parliament, mainly comprised of royalists, convened to discuss the situation of the government. They invited Charles II to rule England, provided that he offer anmesty to his enemies, guarantee religious tolerance and salaries for soldiers. This was important because the people chose to give the monarch power.
Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_II_(1675).jpg -
The passing of the English Bill of Rights
The bill was originally passed to make James II's acts of abusing his powers as monarch illegal. These acts included levying taxes, suspending laws without the consent of Parliament and maintaining an army during peace time. The bill also guaranteed members of Parliament complete freedom of speech. This is another example of the monarch of Britain's power being limited by the people,
Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:English_Bill_of_Rights_of_1689_(bottom).jpg
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