Section 1.5
 To
understand how England
transition from feudalism to
a constitutional monarchy
During the middle ages:
 Feudalism- a loosely
organized system of gov.
among greater and lesser
lords
 William the Conquerortook over England in
1066, made all lord
swear fealty directly to
him
◦ Census and efficient tax
collecting system increase
royal wealth and authority.
Feudalism

Henry II-expanded
legal system
◦ common law- a legal
system based on custom
and previous court
decisions
 Standardized crimes and
punishments.
◦ Jury trials
Henry II


•
1215 King John abused
his power and nobles
revolted and made him
sign the Magna Carta
Magna Carta:
document that makes
rule of law a key
principle of
government, nobles
had certain rights
Magna Carta


The “Great Council”
evolves into
Parliament- England’s
Legislature
Parliament wins the
right to approve new
taxes, which limits the
power of the king.
Houses of Parliament,
London, England

James I
◦ Religious intolerance
◦ Ruled with absolute
authority
◦ Ignored parliament

Charles I
◦ Imprisoned foes w/o
trial
◦ Forced to summon
parliament to raise
taxes
◦ Parliament forces him
to sign the petition of
rights, which he later
ignores
Charles I
1.
2.
Parliament revolts
against Charles I.
Oliver Cromwell’s
(Parliament’s) army
defeats the king’s
troops in the English
Civil War.
1.
2.
Parliament abolishes
(gets rid of) the
monarchy, and
Parliament declares
England a republic,
known as the
“Commonwealth”
Cromwell become a
dictator
Oliver Cromwell



After Cromwell (and
some other stuff) the
Parliament invited
William and Mary of
Orange to come take
the throne
They had to sign the
English Bill of Rights
before taking the
throne.
RESULT: Parliament
was now more
powerful than the King
William and Mary




1. What new practices did strong monarchs
introduce in England?
2.How did the English Parliament limit the
power of the monarch before the civil war?
3.Who was Oliver Cromwell? How does he
compare to Charles I?
4. What three important documents in this
section? Describe each.