Card №5

The Rise of Parliamentarism

When William the Conqueror became King of England in 1066, he introduced more advanced from of feudal system than the country had had under the Anglo-Saxon monarchs. Under the Normans there was no chance for absolute monarchy: the barons had their own lands and soldiers and did not let the king to have too much power. As a result there were constant quarrels between powerful barons and the kings who wanted more lands and more power.

In 1212, at the council at Runnymede, the barons forced King John the Lackland to sign the document called in Latin “ Magna Carta ” (the Great Charter). This document gave the noblemen a legitimate share in the government of the country and deprived the king of the power to treat them as he pleased. The Magna Carta states, “No man shall be imprisoned, deprived of his lands, outlawed or executed, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or the law of the land.” The council of peers instituted by that document was actually the beginning of Parliament. This word, derived from the Old French “parler” (to speak), came into use to refer to the meetings between the king and the noblemen during which they discussed the affairs of the government, law and finance.

When Henry III, the son of King John, became the King, he tried to get more power in his hands. As a result, a civil war, later called the Barons’ War, began. The King’s army was defeated, and to sign the settlement with him Simon de Monfort, the leader of the rebellious barons, summoned two barons from each “shire” (country) and two townsmen from each “borough” (city). It was the beginning of the division of English Parliament into two parts, or “houses”: the House of Lords (the upper chamber, composed of the representatives of aristocracy and the Church) and the House of Commons (the lower chamber, composed of representatives of common people). For a long time, the upper chamber had more power, but with the decline of feudalism the influence of the House of Commons was growing.

Answer the questions:

1. Why is absolute monarchy impossible under the conditions of classical feudal system?

2. What did the Magna Carta give the noblemen?

3. What did the noblemen do during the meetings of the council of peers?

4. What was the cause of the Barons’ War? Who was the leader of the rebellious barons?

Кафедра шешімімен құрастырылды, бекітілді:

Хаттама

Кафедра меңгерушісі _________________ доцент Г. Н. Кисметова

(қолы) (аты - жөні)

Факультет Оқу – әдістемелік Кеңесінде құрастырылды және бекітілді

Хаттама

Факультеттің ОӘК төрағасы ________________ доцент А. А. Раманова

(қолы) (аты - жөні)

Дата добавления: 2015-10-16