The Bill of Rights was introduced to the Crown –William and Mary on the condition that they didn’t behave like James II; the exercise of their power and prerogative was slightly less. This was not however put in place to minimise the crowns importance but to give constitutional principle value e.g. free election of MPs, no excessive fines or bails etc.
One of the feature of the Bill of Rights which may have narrowed the power of the Crown was the clause that states that it was against the law to keep an army in times of peace without the consent of Parliament. This was put to the test after the treaty of Ryswick (1697) where this topic was hotly disputed- the government use ‘guards and garrisons’ to avoid the term ‘army’. William appeal to keep the Dutch foot guards resulted in a hostile demo but the Disbanding act of 1699 fixed the no. of troop to be kept on establishment. Such disputes illustrates the strain between the Crown and Parliament after the Revolution. The Monarch cannot change the law without parliamentary consent. The bill of rights was viewed as the start of the constitutional monarchy rather than the foundations of it. Carter argues that although the Bill of rights minimises the monarch’s power, there is more that could have been done. The Triennial act 1694 further minimised the power of the Crown. It reiterated that Parliament should meet once every three years and that they had control over finance and wartime expenses. The crown could still prorogue, dissolve and summon parliament. Williams- ‘The Eighteenth Century’ E. N. Williams, The eighteenth-century constitution (1960), documents 1-3, 10, 21 [21pp] This selection of documents attempts to give an idea of eighteenth-century institutions as they are seen by historians. Much of the British constitution notoriously exists only in the minds of men, and it is hoped that this volume will enable some glimpses of it to be seen in the language of men used from William III to William Pitt. There are sections on the Revolution of 1688, the central government, parliament, local government, the church, and the liberties of the subject. The documents are drawn from a wider range of published and unpublished sources than usual. They include: diaries; letters; cabinet minutes; pamphlets; sermons; newspapers; parish; borough; and county records; parliamentary debates; state trials; and statutes. The whole collection reflects advances in our understanding of the eighteenth-century constitution, and presents a modern survey in the words of men of the time. J. Israel, ed., The Anglo-Dutch moment: essays on the Glorious Revolution and its world impact (1991), General introduction, chs.2 & 3 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history-in-the-making-the-glorious-revolution-of-1688-91-was-really-a-dutch-invasion-this-distortion-1565642.html "It is not often that crucial aspects of a nation's history remain almost totally hidden despite the efforts of generations of historians to bring to light what is important. But it can happen even in the case of something so fundamental as the Glorious Revolution of 1688-91, a turning-point not only in the history of England but also of Scotland, Ireland, the American colonies, the Dutch Republic and the European balance of power. So grotesque a distortion of our past is unlikely to stem from haphazard oversight. Rather, it is likely to reflect assumptions and prejudgements deeply rooted in our culture and reinforced by our approach to the study and teaching of history" all British interpretations of the Glorious Revolution, ('Whig' or 'revisionist') have viewed the upheaval as a domestic revolution generated by a broad coalition of groups opposed to the royal absolutism and religious policies of James II. …show more content…
With the help of a small foreign army under the Dutch Stadholder, the Prince of Orange (William III) Parliament gained control of the country, dethroned James II with the support of much of the public, disinherited his heir, the Prince of Wales, passed the Bill of Rights and the Toleration Act, secured the special position of the Church of England, and created a constitutional monarchy in England in which there was a wholly new balance between Crown and Parliament - with Parliament supreme. Parliament remodelled the monarchy in England, Scotland and Ireland by putting William and Mary on the throne, as joint sovereigns, in place of James II. In reality England (and later Ireland) was invaded
One of the feature of the Bill of Rights which may have narrowed the power of the Crown was the clause that states that it was against the law to keep an army in times of peace without the consent of Parliament. This was put to the test after the treaty of Ryswick (1697) where this topic was hotly disputed- the government use ‘guards and garrisons’ to avoid the term ‘army’. William appeal to keep the Dutch foot guards resulted in a hostile demo but the Disbanding act of 1699 fixed the no. of troop to be kept on establishment. Such disputes illustrates the strain between the Crown and Parliament after the Revolution. The Monarch cannot change the law without parliamentary consent. The bill of rights was viewed as the start of the constitutional monarchy rather than the foundations of it. Carter argues that although the Bill of rights minimises the monarch’s power, there is more that could have been done. The Triennial act 1694 further minimised the power of the Crown. It reiterated that Parliament should meet once every three years and that they had control over finance and wartime expenses. The crown could still prorogue, dissolve and summon parliament. Williams- ‘The Eighteenth Century’ E. N. Williams, The eighteenth-century constitution (1960), documents 1-3, 10, 21 [21pp] This selection of documents attempts to give an idea of eighteenth-century institutions as they are seen by historians. Much of the British constitution notoriously exists only in the minds of men, and it is hoped that this volume will enable some glimpses of it to be seen in the language of men used from William III to William Pitt. There are sections on the Revolution of 1688, the central government, parliament, local government, the church, and the liberties of the subject. The documents are drawn from a wider range of published and unpublished sources than usual. They include: diaries; letters; cabinet minutes; pamphlets; sermons; newspapers; parish; borough; and county records; parliamentary debates; state trials; and statutes. The whole collection reflects advances in our understanding of the eighteenth-century constitution, and presents a modern survey in the words of men of the time. J. Israel, ed., The Anglo-Dutch moment: essays on the Glorious Revolution and its world impact (1991), General introduction, chs.2 & 3 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history-in-the-making-the-glorious-revolution-of-1688-91-was-really-a-dutch-invasion-this-distortion-1565642.html "It is not often that crucial aspects of a nation's history remain almost totally hidden despite the efforts of generations of historians to bring to light what is important. But it can happen even in the case of something so fundamental as the Glorious Revolution of 1688-91, a turning-point not only in the history of England but also of Scotland, Ireland, the American colonies, the Dutch Republic and the European balance of power. So grotesque a distortion of our past is unlikely to stem from haphazard oversight. Rather, it is likely to reflect assumptions and prejudgements deeply rooted in our culture and reinforced by our approach to the study and teaching of history" all British interpretations of the Glorious Revolution, ('Whig' or 'revisionist') have viewed the upheaval as a domestic revolution generated by a broad coalition of groups opposed to the royal absolutism and religious policies of James II. …show more content…
With the help of a small foreign army under the Dutch Stadholder, the Prince of Orange (William III) Parliament gained control of the country, dethroned James II with the support of much of the public, disinherited his heir, the Prince of Wales, passed the Bill of Rights and the Toleration Act, secured the special position of the Church of England, and created a constitutional monarchy in England in which there was a wholly new balance between Crown and Parliament - with Parliament supreme. Parliament remodelled the monarchy in England, Scotland and Ireland by putting William and Mary on the throne, as joint sovereigns, in place of James II. In reality England (and later Ireland) was invaded