English Bill of Rights

The English Bill of Rights was an act signed into law in 1689 by William III and Mary II,
who became co-rulers in England after the overthrow of King James II. The bill outlined
specific constitutional and civil rights and gave Parliament power over the monarchy.
Many experts regard the English Bill of Rights as the primary law that set the stage for a
constitutional monarchy in England.
Glorious Revolution
Both political and religious reasons sparked the glorious revolution, which took place in
England from 1688-1689. Many English citizens were suspicious of the Catholic king
James II and disapproved of the monarchy’s outright power. Tensions were high between
the British Parliament and the king and Catholics and Protestants were also in conflict.
James II was replaced by his Protestant daughter, Mary, and her Dutch husband, William
of Orange. The two leaders formed a joint monarchy and agreed to give Parliament more
rights and power as Bill of Rights
What’s in the Bill of Rights?
The English Bill of Rights limited the power of the monarchy, elevated the status of
Parliament and outlined specific rights of individuals, as:
1. Freedom to elect members of Parliament, without the king or queen’s interference
2. Freedom of speech in Parliament
3. Freedom from royal interference with the law
4. Freedom to petition the king
5. Freedom to bear arms for self-defense
6. Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail
7. Freedom from taxation by royal prerogative, without the agreement of Parliament
8. Freedom of fines and forfeitures without a trial
9. Freedom from armies being raised during peacetimes
Constitutional Monarchy
The English Bill of Rights created a constitutional monarchy in England, meaning
the king acts as head of state but his powers are limited by law.
Under this system, the monarchy couldn’t rule without the consent of Parliament
and in the modern-day in England the queen plays only a ceremonial role.
An earlier historical document, the 1215 Magna Carta of England, is also credited
with limiting the powers of the monarchy and is sometimes cited as a precursor to
the English Bill of Rights.
The English Bill of Rights ideas and philosophies penetrated into the colonies of
North America and also influenced laws, documents and ideologies in Canada,
Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and other countries.
The Bill of Rights was later added on by the England Act of Settlement in 1701.
Who was Oliver Cromwell?
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who led
parliamentary forces in the English Civil Wars and was lord protector of England,
Scotland, and Ireland during the republican Commonwealth.
He was considered an outspoken Puritan and helped organize armed forces after the
outbreak of civil war in 1642, serving as deputy commander of the “New Model
Army” that decimated the main Royalist force at the Battle of Naseby. After the
death of Charles I, Cromwell served in the Rump Parliament and set to reform the
legal system in part through the establishment of the Blue Laws. He commanded
campaigns in Ireland and Scotland and served as “lord protector” of England,
Wales, Scotland and Ireland from 1653 until his death.
What was Oliver Cromwell best known for?
Cromwell, as lord protector, raised his country's status as a leading European
power from the decline that had gone through since the death of Queen Elizabeth I.
Cromwell kept in balance the monarchy restoration with the democratic equality:
1. Development and consolidation of private property;
2. Stimulating commercial relations;
3. Abolition of noble privileges;
4. Religious pacification (a tolerance which doesn’t however concern Catholics);
5. Controls on public morality.
Affected by malaria, Oliver Cromwell died at the age of fifty-nine.
New Model Army
The New Model Army, leaded by Cromwell, was created by Parliament as it felt
that a professional army would be more successful against the king's army.
This military unit won the English Civil War and came to exercise important
political power.
The New Model Army was a military force based on a person’s ability rather than
on your position within society, in fact one of the leading officers in the New
Model Army had been a butcher. This removal of this social obstacle meant that the
New Model Army was open to new ideas and social class meant nothing.
Cromwell preferred that the men in the new force were strong believers like
himself and it was not unusual for the men to sing psalms just before going into
battle. It was a force based on lightly armed cavalry whose nickname was Ironsides
as they seemed to cut through the enemy with ease.
These cavalry soldiers wore thick leather jerkins for protection as full plated
armour would slow down their horses. First proper use of the New Model Army
was at the Battle of Naseby where the Royalist army was severely beaten. Nearly
1,000 Royalist soldiers were killed and 4,500 were taken prisoner.
The diggers and the levellers
The political and social confusion that resulted from the English Civil War in the
seventeenth century led to the development of a set of radical ideas as ‘Levellers’
and ‘Diggers’.
The Diggers, as the name implies, aimed to use the earth to reclaim the freedom
infact by seizing the land and owning it ‘in common’ they would challenge what
they considered to be the slavery of property. They were opposed to the use of
force and believed that they could create a classless society simply through seizing
land and holding it in the ‘common good’.
The most significant of these movements were The Levellers whose revolutionary
ideas found most support in the ranks of the ’New Model Army’
They believed that all men were equal; They demanded the right to vote for all,
free trade, the abolition of censorship, freedom of speech and the absolute right for
people to worship whatever religion that they chose. This programme was
published as ‘The Agreement of the People”.
Cromwell's Act of Grace
Cromwell's Act of Grace was an important act that declared the people of Scotland
were absolved for any crimes they might have committed during the Wars . Except
for members of the royal family and for who had their estates confiscated and fined
The Monarchy Restauration
At the death of Cromwell, the English people, tired of the heavy climate imposed
by puritanism, recalled the Stuarts, because even a large part of Parliament was
convinced that only the monarchy could guarantee stability to the nation but
Cromwell’s legacy, however, was not lost: many regiments were incorporated into
the new army of Charles II Stuart as departments of the Guard, but above all his
great efficiency would have shaped the future British army.
Commonwealth
The Commonwealth was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660
when England and Wales, later also Ireland and Scotland, were governed as
a republic after the end of the Second English Civil War and the execution of
Charles I.
The Commonwealth was the first republic in the Anglophone world, although it
became an "almost-monarchy", that was a military tyranny of Cromwell, which
exercised the functions of King.
Currently the term Commonwealth has a more general meaning and indicates a
political community, a group of people or of groups with a common aim to
improve themselves, help each other and share knowledge and resources.
How was Oliver Cromwell’s personality?
Cromwell was a dedicated puritan, deeply and fervently devoted to carrying out the
will of God. He believed that everybody should lead their lives according to what
was written in the Bible.
The pure fun was frowned upon, in fact Cromwell shut many inn and the theaters
were all closed down. Most sports were banned. Boys caught playing football on a
Sunday could be whipped as a punishment. Swearing was punished by a fine even
with prison. The women and girls should dress in a proper manner and Make-up
was banned.
He was relentless in battle, brilliant in Organization and with a genius for Cavalry
warfare.
Cromwell, with his commanding voice and personality, was frequently forceful and
assertive, but he also had a very grave temperament that bordered on the
melancholic. In fact, Cromwell was known to have suffered from depression, which
doubtless affected his manner and character. In his private life, however, Cromwell
had a good sense of humor and was able to enjoy a good time with friends and
family, hunting and playing bowls.
As a leader, Cromwell was often lunatic. He was abrupt and forceful with members
of the government who annoyed him–at one point, for example, Cromwell forcibly
dissolved the Rump Parliament when it failed to promptly enact his proposed
reforms.
As Lord Protector, Cromwell was equally forceful, calling Parliaments only when
he felt it was necessary. Cromwell did, however, have a sense of restraint, and on
more than one occasion refused to become King. Although he had enormous
personal influence over many members of Parliament, Cromwell became
increasingly isolated in his later years. Although he remained the most p owerful
man in England until his death, toward the end of his rule Cromwell had increasing
difficulty persuading other to believe in his proposed reforms and in his religious
vision for England's future.
Oliver Cromwell’s relationship?
Cromwell developed a close relationship with John Pym, the unchallenged leader
of the Puritans in the House of Commons. Pym was a large landowner and was
known for his anti-Catholic views and saw Parliament's role as safeguarding
England against the influence of the Pope

However, John Pym believed that the king Charles I, who had married Henrietta
Maria, a Catholic, was an obstacle to this anti- pope process and influenced a lot
Cromwell ideas infact then he decided to execute Carlo I.