POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS IN BRITAIN:

The Constitutional Monarchy

The Constitutional Monarchy

The origins of constitutional monarchy in Britain go back a long way. Constitutional

monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch is legally restricted. This form of
government differs from absolute monarchy, in which the monarch has absolute political power
over the state and is not effectively restricted by constitutional constraints. Constitutional
monarchies are sometimes referred to as limited monarchies or crowned republics. A
constitutional monarchy is a parliamentary monarchy, however there are also parliamentary
absolute monarchies.1
The political history of the British Isles (especially England) over the past 800 years has
been largely one of reducing the power of the monarchy, and tranferring authority to Parliament
as the sovereign legislative body.As a consequence was the growth of political parties and the
campaigns for the extension of the vote to all adults.2
The United Kingdom as a united country has resulted after the Acts of Union uniting
England and Wales in 1536-43 , the Act of Union between England and Scotland, in 1707 , and
the 1801 Act of union joining Great Britain and Ireland.
Early English monarchs had considerable power, with some limitations of their authority.
Until the end of the seventeenth century,English monarchs were executive monarchs, which
means that they had the right to make and pass legislation. But even in early times there were
occasions when the Sovereign had to act in accordance with the law and take into account the
will

of

his

people.

With the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, for example, the leading noblemen of
England succeeded in forcing King John to accept that they and other freemen had rights against
the Crown.It had some positive aspects and a major negative issue.On one hand , this document
protected just the aristocracy, not the ordinary citizens, but on the other hand it introduced the
right of being judged in fair trial for any citizen.
Another crucial moment in British monarchy,s hystory was 1265 and 1295 associated with
Simon de Monfort and Edward I .This king formed the fisrt real Parliament, based on the
nobility, but it became an example for future structures.This is the moment when The Privy
Council was created, as an expansion of the small circle of advisers at the royal court.
In Tudor England, from 1485, there was a return to royal dominance.The monarchs chose
landed gentry as members of their Privy Concils. Monarchs controlled Parliament and
summoned it only when they needed to raise money.The financial control became the
1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy

Oakland , John . British Civilization . London : Routledge , 1995 , p.66

parliament,s weapon, in Stuart monarchy, around 1603.For instance, Charles I signed the petition
of Rights in 1628, which further restricted the monarch,s powers and prevented him from raising
taxes without Parliament,s consent.Today Black Rod (a royal appointment) is a reminder of the
constitutional changes.
The stubborn Charles I who believed that he own the supreme authority attracted anger
against the crown and a Civil war broke out in 1642.He was overcome by the Protestant
Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell ,s leadership, and he ended beheaded, in 1649.The
monarchy was abolished, but because of the harsh and unpopular Cromwell,s Protectorate , the
monarchy was restored and the two Houses of Parliament were re-established.The throne was
given to Stuart Charles II.After this king gave up cooperating with the Parliament, the Test Act
(1673) was signed.The right of being judged with a fair and speedy trial for any possible
imprisoned citizen was stipulated in Habeas Corpus Act, in 1679.This document was tried to be
repelled by king James.He fled to France, after the Protestant William of Orange implication,
and William succeeded to the throne, in 1688. In Britain, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 led
to a constitutional monarchy restricted by laws such as the Bill of Rights/The declaration of
Rights 1689 (created basic civil liberties) , the Act of Settlement 1701 (gave religious freedom to
all Protestants and stipulated that all future monarchs had to be Protestants), and The Triennial
Act (established an every three years Parliament meeting) although limits on the power of the
monarch ('A Limited Monarchy') are much older than that, as seen in our Magna Carta.
The main idea about this historical event is that the monarch,s powers were restricted and
it was practically impossible for future monarchs to reigne without the consent of Parliament.
Now is the moment of separating the state powers between an executive branch, a legislative
branch and the judiciary .So , the legislature was supposed to control the executive, which is
quite a modern aspect.
Sine 1689 the monarch,s executive powers have been limited.But the monarch still has a
number of formal constitutional roles, and serves as head of state, head of the executive,
judiciary and legislature, commander-in chief of the armed forces, and supreme governor of the
Church of england.In holding these positions, the monarch personifies the British state and is a
symbol of national unity.3
In 1884, after some political tries and mouvements, Whig Gladstone gave the right of
voting to all male adults. For women the situation was different and very complicated.They
succeeded for their rights and social status, just after the middle of the 20th century.

Oakland , John . British Civilization . London : Routledge , 1995

In 19th century, queen Victoria remodelled the monarchy to make it appear as the public
symbol of national unity and as the paragon of family life in Britain.Because Britain was
victorious in both world wars , the monarchy survived to become the focal point of the nation.A
model royal couple is George VI and his consort, Elisabeth (now known as the Queen Mother),
who made the monarchy more popular during the Second World War.They refused to live the
bombed Buckingham Palace and they made tours of badly bombed parts of London and other
cities.So, they became the two most loved people in Britain. 4The first mediately royal character
was Charles , queen Elisabeth,s son.His youth was marked by his present wife, the journalist
Camilla Parker Bowles, not suitable for the royal family, at that moment (,,pure,, and protestant)
and ,, The Honorable Diana Frances Spencer,, 5 ,his first wife.
Nowadays, we can say that for all practical purposes the monarch acts only on the advise
of the ministers, which cannot be ignored.The monarch is not allowed to make laws, impose
taxes, spend public money or act unilaterally.6The monarch still has important executive and
legislative duties.These include summoning, opening, dissolving the parliament;giving th Royal
Assent to bills which have been passed by both Houses of parliament;appointing government
ministers and other public figures; granting honours; leading proceedings of the Privy Council;
and fullfiling international duties as head of state.On one hand , the monarch performs just on the
advice of the Prime minister or other ministers, and on the other hand he can get advises from his
/ her royal advisers and leading politicians, in order to choose an acceptable prime minister.
The monarch is a permanent figure in the British political system, unlike temporary
politicians, and often has a greater knowledge of domestic and internatioanl politics.Another
aspect is that much of the cost of the royal family,s duties is met from public founds.The
monarch,s private expenses as sovereign come from the Privy Purse.The members of the royal
family outside the immediate circle ,s and the monarch,s family,s costs must come from the
crown,s own resources, which are very considerable.In theory, the constitution has three
branches: Parliament, Government and the Queen (the monarch). 7The first one makes laws, but
the bill must be signed by the queen to become a law.The second branch, the government ,
executes laws, and although the Queen is officially the head of all, she has a little direct and
independent power.
In the present, there is an important topic about criticism the royalty, the brits need or not in
having a monarchy.
4

McDowell, David.Britain In Close-Up.An In-Depth Study Of Contemporary Britain.Longman , Edinburgh Gate,

1999 (Department Library).
5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy
6
idem 3
7
Harvey, Paul & Jones, Rhodri. Britain Explored. Longman, Edingburgh Gate, 2002.(Department Library).

Critics who are against the monarchy maintain that it is out-of-date, nondemocratic, too
expensive, too closely associated with arristocratics.They think that monarchy contributes to
class division in society and sustains a hierarchical structure.
The other part of the critics, who are in favour of the monarchy argue that it is popular,
has developed and adapted to modern requirements.It serves as a personification of the state.; has
a higher prestige than politicians,;performs an important ambassadorial function in Britain and
overseas;has a certain glamour, which is very attractive to many people.The possibility of a
republicin the future , apparently, is not discounted.
David McDowell in ,, An Illustrated History Of britain,, wrote: ,, When looking at Britain
today, it is important to remember the great benefits from the past. No other country has so long
a history of political order, going back almost without interruption to the Norman Conquest. Few
other countries have enjoyed such long periods of economic and social wellbeing.It is also
important, however, to remember the less successful aspects of the past. For example, why did
the political views of the seventeenth-century Levellers or nineteenth-century Chartists, which
today seem so reasonable , take so long to be accepted ? Why did the women's struggle to play a
fuller part in national life occur so late , and why was it then so difficult and painful? Why is
there still a feeling of division between the north and south of Britain ? Is Britain , which in
many ways has been a leader in parliamentary democracy, losing that position of leadership
today, and if so,why?
The questions are almost endless, and the answers are neither obvious nor easy. Yet it is the
continued discussion and reinterpretation of the past which makes a study of Britain's history of
value to its present and its future,,.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harvey, Paul & Jones, Rhodri. Britain Explored, Longman, Edingburgh Gate, 2002.(Department
Library).
Oakland , John . British Civilization . London : Routledge , 1995
McDowell, David.Britain In Close-Up.An In-Depth Study Of Contemporary Britain. Longman , Edinburgh
Gate, 1999 (Department Library).

WEB-SITES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy

http://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/history/An%20Illustrated%20History%20of%20Britain.pdf
(McDowell, David. An Illustrated History Of Britain. Edinburgh: Pearson, 2000)