3. Royalty, parliament and religion
Although the dates of kings and queens form a framework for British history, since the 13th century the powers of the monarch have been reduced. In 1215 King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, a document restricting the king’s power and giving the barons greater power. The word parliament was first used to describe meetings between Henry III and his noblemen in the Great Council. At that time, the king used his and his noblemen money to pay for government and war. When they didn’t have enough money the king had to meet with representatives from the counties to raise taxes. Over time, the Great Council became known as the House of Lords and the people from the counties as the House of Commons. Originally, the king needed the support of his councilors to pass a law, but by the end of the 15th century members of the House of Commons were taking part in the Law-making process.
During the medieval period monasteries were centres of learning. Monks prepared elaborately illustrated manuscripts, and in Jarrow in north-east England, Bede (an English monk and historian) wrote a history of England. His important work Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written in Latin, was the first serious work of English history.
4. The Church of England.
The Church of England is the official Protestant church in England. It became in depended of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century, in the time of Henry VIII. By the act of Supremacy(1534), the king replaced the Pope as head of the English or Anglican Church ( He divorced his first wife against the wishes of the Pope, and this led to a break with the Roman Catholic Church) and personally chose senior members of the clergy. The king or Queen is still the Supreme Governor of the Church of England but Archbishops and bishops are now appointed on the recommendation of the prime minister. The Church is led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Services are in English, and forms of service were originally given in the Book of Common Prayer. This is still used but there are now also services in modern English.
Cathedrals may belong to either the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. Some are called MINSTERS and were originally centers for teaching Christianity in the surrounding countryside.
5. Civil War (1642-1651 between the King of England and his parliament)
Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I, supported the Church of England. She was the queen of England and Ireland from 1558. She was an extremely strong and clever woman who controlled the difficult political and religious situation. When she died without any children in 1603, the family of Stuarts were kings and queens of Scotland up to 1714. Elizabeth's successor, James I who united England and Scotland under one government, was hated by many Catholics, and on 5 November 1605 a group of them devised the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to kill him while he was in Parliament. After his death his son, Charles I, became the king and was often in conflict with Parliament, and after many disputes civil war (1642-1651 between the King of England and his parliament) broke out. The royalists were defeated and Charles was put on trial for waging war against his people. He was found guilty and beheaded. England was then ruled by a general, Oliver Cromwell, who dissolved Parliament and became Lord Protector of England.
The Commonwealth was declared. For 11 years England had no king or queen. But this period ended with the Restoration of King Charles II. Religious conflict continued throughout the 17th century, but j in 1689 the Bill of Rights laid down that only a Protestant could become king. (This was the Act dealt with the relationship between the King or Queen and Parliament, not with the rights of individuals. The earlier declaration of right had greatly reduced the power of the king or queen, and the new Act helped make Britain a constitutional monarchy, in which the real power lies with Parliament not with the monarch.)