2. Growth of Royal Power
In medieval England the Christian
church, the nobility and the monarchy
all had considerable wealth and
influence
Feudalism
– Loosely organized system of rule in which
powerful local lords divided their land holdings
among lesser lords, in exchange they pledged
their loyalty
– Came about because monarchs were too weak to
maintain law and order and people needed
protection from invaders
3.
4. Monarchs, Nobles and the
Church
Nobles/Church held as much power as
the monarch
– had their own courts
– collected their own taxes
– had their own armies
5. Strong Monarchs
William the Conqueror
– Established an efficient tax collecting
system
Henry III
– Established common law
• A legal system based on custom and court
ruling that applied to all of England
• Standardized law/punishment
• Local citizens took part in trials
– Establishment of common law and jury
system led to further advances on the road
to democratic rule
7. King John and the Magna
Carta
King John constantly struggled with the
nobles over his taxes and abuse of
power
1215 a group of rebellious barons made
King John (Henry II’s son) accept the
Magna Carta affirming a long list of
feudal rights
King could not raise taxes without first
consulting the Great Council or lords
and clergy
8. The Magna Carta
Contained two important principles
– Asserted all nobles had rights which was
later to include all English citizens
– Monarch must obey the law
Nobles protected their privileges
People could not be arrested or
imprisoned unless by a jury of their
peers
Rule of law is a key principle in
democratic traditions
9. Development of Parliament
Great Council became Parliament
When France and Britain fought in the
Hundred Years War England changed
politically
English rulers turned to Parliament for
funds which helped them win the power
of the purse winning the right to
approve any new taxes
10. Development of Parliament
Parliament could now insist
that the monarch meet its
demands before voting for
taxes
This way Parliament could
check or limit the power of the
monarch
Later most democratic
governments would incorporate
similar checks on power in their
constitution
