Democratic Developments
in England
I) Medieval Reforms
II) Parliament Grows Stronger
III) Establishment of a Constitutional
Monarchy
 The
economic and political system of the
Middle Ages was feudalism, where nobles are
granted the use of lands that belong to the
king in exchange for their loyalty, military
service and protection of the people who live
on the land.
 Henry
II develops a single legal system England
that includes juries and the beginnings of
common law, which reflects the customs and
principles established over time, not just the
will of a ruler.
 At
the demand of English nobles in 1215, King
John signs the Magna Carta (Great Charter),
which limited the power of the king. It implied
that the monarch had no right to rule in any
way they pleased, but had to govern according
to the law.
 Clause
39 of the Magna Carta gave people the
right to due process of law, which meant that
the king could not arbitrarily punish his
subjects but had to follow the law of the land.
 Clause
12 said the King could not levy taxes
without the consent of Parliament, England’s
national legislature
 Under
King Edward I, the first English
Parliament convenes in 1295 which became
known as the model parliament because it set
the standard for future parliaments by voting
on taxes and helping make reforms and laws.
 Over
the next few centuries, Parliament’s
“power of the purse” or right to approve
expenses gave it growing influence in
governing.
 The
idea of the divine right of kings, popular
with rulers in Europe during the 1600’s, is
also advocated by Stuart monarchy.
 Charles
I is forced to sign the Petition of
Rights in return for granting revenue from
taxes.
 The
Petition of rights went against the idea of
divine right and absolute monarchy by
demanding an end to:




Taxing without Parliament's consent
Imprisoning citizens illegally
Housing troops in citizens’ homes
Military government in peacetime
 When
Charles I later ignored the document,
the English Civil War broke out.
 Clashes between the monarchy and the
parliament lead to Charles I being overthrown
and executed by Oliver Cromwell.
 After
Oliver Cromwell executed Charles I, he
establishes an unpopular military
dictatorship.
 When
Cromwell’s son Richard resigned in
1659, a period called the restoration began
where the parliament invites Charles II to
restore the monarchy.
 Parliament
continued limiting the power of
the monarchy by passing the Habeas Corpus
Amendment Act, which means the police
must produce the person in court if arrested
and they must be informed of what they are
accused of and face a judge.
 Parliament
maintains power and eventually
offers the throne to Prince William of Orange
and his wife Mary, daughter of Charles I to
prevent James II
from making
Catholicism the
official religion
of England.
 The
Glorious Revolution, as it came to be
called, established Parliament's right to limit
the power of the English king and control
succession to the throne.
 England
was now a constitutional monarchy,
where the powers of a ruler are restricted by
constitution and the laws of the country.

In 1689 William and Mary accepted the English Bill of
Rights, a formal written summary of rights and
liberties considered essential to the people.

The document further limited the power of the
monarch and protected free speech in Parliament.

The monarch was forbidden to suspend laws, tax or
raise an army during peacetime without the consent of
Parliament, and people were protected against
excessive bail, cruel or unusual punishment, and had
the right to petition the government to seek remedies
for their grievances.

England’s Glorious Revolution and Bill of Rights, along
with the ideas of the Enlightenment, would give rise
to democratic revolutions in America and France in
the late 18th century