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1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was created to ensure that kings were not above the law -- it placed a limit on English king's power and their royal authority. This limited absolutism. -
English Civil War
The English Civil War was fought between supporters of a strong Parliament, called Roundheads, and supporters of a strong monarchy (King Charles I at the time), called Cavaliers.
In the end, the supporters of the Parliament won and King Charles I was executed. The government of England switched from being a monarchy to the Commonwealth of England, which gave Parliament much more power and influence. -
Interregnum
During the time period after the English Civil War and Charles I's execution, England spent time experimenting and perfecting a constitution on how to best govern the country without a monarchy called 'Interregnum.' So, this inherently lessened the power of the monarchy and instead, ended up strengthened the Parliament's power. -
Glorious Revolution
With the Glorious Revolution, Catholic King James II was dethroned and replaced with his Protestant daughter Mary II. This was significant in limiting the absolute monarchy in England because it was essentially Parliament's way of changing the national religion from Catholicism to Protestantism -- that was the Parliament's decision, not the king's, which inherently limits the absolute monarchy. -
English Bill of Rights
Protestant leaders William and Mary agreed to limit the monarchy's power by signing the English Bill of Rights, which specifically set it up so that there would be frequent parliaments, free elections, and freedom of speech within Parliament. Overall, this strengthened the Parliament in England. -
Claim of Right Act
This was Scotland's way of accepting William and Mary (pictured) to the throne. The document is important in English history because it reaffirms the transition from a strong monarchy to a stronger Parliament. This was a part of the Scottish constitution; it was passed by the Scottish Parliament. -
Act of Settlement
The Act of Settlement ensured that Protestant rulers would lead England, which is what the Parliament wanted. It also strengthened the power of the Parliament by solidifying the English Bill of Rights.