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Jun 15, 1215
Acceptance of the Magna Carta
When King John agreed to the Magna Carta, he established a principal of limited monarchical rule that would have an important influence over the rest of England's political history. It protected religious rights, the rights of the accused and set for councils to limit the power of the monarch. James I and Charles I would try to suppress the Magna Carta's influence in the 17th century. Despite this, its influence would lead, in part, to both the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution -
Declaration of Anglo-Spanish War
James I declared this war which would be fought from 1624-1639 and continue into the reign of his son Charles I. In order to pay for the war, both rulers (and especially Charles) levied tariffs, duties and taxes without the consent of Parliament. Furthermore, because of the war, they enacted forced loans and forced quartering of troops in citizens' homes. These consequences of the war led to both the resentment of absolute monarchical power and the drafting of the Petition of Rights. -
Acceptance of Petition of Right
When Charles I accepted the Petition of Right taxes and forced loans could no longer be levied without Parliament's approval, freemen could not be imprisoned without due cause and quartering troops could not be forced on private homes. Angered by the Petition, Charles dissolved Parliament in the next year which would eventually lead to the Long Parliament. The petition also set precedent for parliamentary limitations on monarchical power and set the stage for Parliamentary Monarchy. -
Beginning of Long Parliament
When Charles I reinstated Parliament, the resulting body - known as the Long Parliament - was more powerful than ever before. This Parliament could not be dissolved by the king and acted without the royal courts that had theretofore been appointed by the throne. Although due, in part, to internal divisions, this Parliament only lasted 20 years, it was significant in setting the precedent for a powerful Parliament that could act relatively on its own. -
Outbreak of English Civil War
One influence on the English Civil War was the tension between the absolute power of the monarch and the powers of Parliament and many mark the war's starting point as when Charles I marched 400 soldiers to arrest 5 members of Commons. The outcomes of this war were especially significant in establishing limited monarchy since they ended with an overthrow of the monarchical system. Although this overthrow was short lived, the monarchy never returned to its previous state of semi-absolute power. -
Execution of Charles I
The execution of Charles I came as a result of the English Civil War. This event influenced the idea of limited monarchy, since it showed that monarchs were not completely infallible. It showed that the voices of the people - as well as the powers of Parliament - could be so strong as to bring about a king's death. This had important implications in the idea that monarchs had to reflect - to an extent - the will of the people and were limited in their powers. -
The Glorious Revolution
This event could be considered the most important measure in securing limited monarchy in England. Following Parliament's wishes, William overthrew James II. This definitively demonstrated Parliament's power. Furthermore, following the revolution, the rulers William and Mary established a Bill of Rights to protect the liberties of Englishmen and agreed to ruling with Parliament's consent. Thus, a form of limited monarchy was cemented in England.
