How did england evolve from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy?

Question

how did it evolve?

Answer 1

Thanks to the 1215 Magna Carta that Oliver Cromwell ( I believe that was his name) that created the document and forced the then king to sign his rights completely away. I think if the British monarch was given some political right to rule and be like a co-regent to the prime minister it would be fine.

Answer 2

Following up abou the magna Carta, imagin if it didnt change, i dont think one man or woman knows whats best for the country, im glad we have a parliament, though its the queens government, the parliament has enough head to know whats best for the country/not just themselves, and thequeen and royal family is there to see and tell them what they/ the uk citizens want/need, they r also there to keep parliament in line! Everyone is keeping an eye on everybody, hard to currupt that way.

Answer 3

Runnymede 1215; the nobles forced King John to sign an edict establishing a Parliament.  Tyranny and absolute rule were abolished and the nobles now had a say in how things were run.

Answer 4

The British monarchy is considered the oldest of modern constitutional monarchies, and the model for this form of government in the English-speaking world. A constitutional monarchy was able to form in the United Kingdom across different periods of history for a complex combination of reasons: sometimes due to a lack of strong leadership, and at other times due to strong leaders short of funding, who needed to raise money to prosecute wars, and needed to address public grievances to ensure this money was forthcoming.

Historically, the English were divided on the question of the origins and justification for monarchy, but the Continental and Scottish belief in the "Divine Right of Kings" gradually gave ground to modern social-contract philosophy. The Magna Carta in 1215 is considered the first codification of the monarchy as a contract among territorial chiefs.

In the 17th century, the Stuart dynasty's attempts to import the doctrine of "Divine Right" from Scotland, caused the English to question the royal authority and revive earlier safeguards against executive power. Parliament took several key steps to limit the power of the King. They revived the English instrument of impeachment, which held the King's ministers to be responsible for his actions; hence the King's servants could be executed for implementing unpopular policies. They forced Charles I to sign the Petition of Right that re-affirmed that the King must go through Parliament to enact new laws, taxes, etc. After signing the Petition of Right, Charles I responded by avoiding the recall of a parliament for the next decade and instead relied on other measures to raise funds such as the unpopular Ship money, one of many actions by the king that ultimately lead to the English Civil Wars, and the eventual beheading of the King for treason. This sent a message to future monarchs of England that they did not have absolute power. During the reign of Charles II, Parliament passed the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, which said that any prisoner taken by the King would be given a trial. This prevented the King from simply removing his enemies by sending them to jail.

When James II took the throne many people did not appreciate it when he flaunted his Catholicism. Therefore Parliament flexed its muscles once again by asking William of Orange to overthrow the king. William came from the Netherlands and overthrew James II with little bloodshed. This nearly peaceful transfer of power, between James II and the future dual monarchy of William III and Mary II, is known as the Glorious Revolution. Once William and Mary had gained control of the throne, they completely supported the constitutional monarchy. Together they signed the English Bill of Rights of 1689, which severely limited the power of the king, and gave more freedom to their subjects. One supporter of constitutional monarchy was John Locke. He wrote in his “Treatises on Government” that a direct democracy is the best form of government. He wrote that people are able to improve and rule themselves, and that people have three main rights. These rights are life, liberty, and property, and it is the government’s job to protect these rights. He also wrote that if the government is unjust the people have the right to overthrow it, a doctrine that was invoked during the American Revolution. The conflict between absolute (Tory) and social contract (Whig) views of the monarchy came to a head in a war of succession. The deposed English and Scottish king, James II and VII, was defeated by Whig forces led by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, now considered a decisive turning point in British and Irish history.

Answer 5

the nobles but the stamp on the king

Answer 6

look up the magna carta