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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta signed
In 1215, the Magna Carta proved to be the first official document that caused the power of a king from Great Brttain to be limited. This documents also reserved certain rights for the citizens, thus protecting them from abuse of power from the executive. This was the first showing, in which a king's power was limited by the people. -
Petition of Right
Throughout the course of the era leading to the establishment of limited monarchy, the people constantly reinforce the power of Parliament via various documents. One of these documents is the Petition of Right. The Petition of Right empowered Parliament to approve or disapprove new loans and taxes of the goverment. It also outlawed quartering (forced housing of soldiers) and called for mandatory due process before the imprisonment of citizens. -
James I Reigns
During the reign of James I, the lack of balance between the monarch and Parliament is made evident. James I did not respect the authority of Parliament because he felt that monarchs are destined to be absolute sources of power. Parliament and James I constantly butted heads and the growing feuds between Parliament and monarchs was a huge contributing factor to the limitation of the powers of monarchs A.K.A. limited monarchy. -
Passing of Act of Habeas Corpus
The Act of Habeas Corpus was passed during the reign of Charles II to empower the pre-existing laws pertaining to Habeas Corpus. In doing so, Parliament is utilizing its legislative power. As a result, the citizens gained more rights. This act empowered the legislative part of the government as well as the rights of the people. This is a representation of how the people worked toward creating a balanced system of government without one sole executive controlling every aspect of politics. -
The Glorious Revolution: William III and Mary II Take Power
As a result of the Glorious Revolution, William III took the throne from James II and thus, ended his tries toward acting as an absolute monarch. The main effect of William III and Mary II's reign is that they helped to pave a more equal balance between the executive (monarch) and legislative (Parliament) portions of the English government. -
English Bill of Rights is adopted
During the reign of William III and Mary II, they adopt the English Bill of Rights. The English Bill of Rights worked to minimalize the possiblity of absolutism in the monarchy by limiting the power of monarchs. In doing so, William III and Mary II officially transformed the monarchy of England into a limited monarchy.
