Monarchs have been at the heart of Britain's system of government for over 1,000 years but their power has been eroded.

The monarchy is the oldest British institution of government, going back more than 1,000 years. Queen Elizabeth II is a descendant of King Egbert, who ruled England in the 9-th century. She came to the throne on February 6 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI.

The concept of monarchy is ancient, originally implying that one person had been given supreme authority over everyone else by a god. For centuries there was no separation between the power of the monarch and the power of the state. These "absolute" monarchs used their powers to levy taxes, raise armies and declare wars without consultation. Over time these unrestricted powers of absolute monarchs were removed. They have mostly been replaced by "constitutional" monarchies - those authorized or limited by a political constitution - in which power has been transferred to politicians.

In the English Civil War of 1642-9 a growing merchant class joined forces with a section of the aristocracy to limit the powers of Charles I, particularly in the area of taxation. Charles repeatedly dissolved Parliament to prevent criticism of his actions and for 11 years ruled the country without a Parliament. The struggle culminated in civil war, the king's execution and the establishment of a republic. In the republic, which lasted for 11 years under Oliver Cromwell, sovereign power was vested in Parliament.

But the propertied classes eventually restored the monarchy. However, the executed king's son, Charles II (who reigned from 1660-85), and his successor, James II (who reigned from 1685-88), proved unwilling to give up what they claimed was their right to absolute power. So William of Orange, who was married to James's daughter Mary and was a Protestant, was invited over from Holland and offered the throne in 1689. a Declaration of Rights at the same time, gave Parliament greater powers including the right to approve taxation. This completed "Glorious Revolution".

Although the monarchy had survived, its role had been severely restricted. Parliament wrested more financial and political control away from the Crown. By the end of the 19-th century, with the establishment of modern party politics, the monarch's role had become largely symbolic.

Today's monarchy seems far removed from that of much earlier times. If anything, the British royal family likes to emphasise its ordinariness. For years, Prince Philip let it be known that he did the football pools. Prince Charles frequently says that he sympathises with the problems of the unemployed and homeless.

This is not to say that the powers traditionally exercised by the Crown - the "Royal Prerogative" - are merely an irrelevant leftover from a bygone age. The Queen still opens and dissolves Parliament and in theory appoints prime ministers and peers, heads the Church of England, the armed forces and the judiciary. In practice, the Queen exercises these powers in name only.

But at times of political or economic crisis, for example, during the debates over Irish Home Rule in 1913-14, and over the formation of a National Government in 1931 - the monarch's remaining constitutional powers can and have come into play. Critics argue that such rare examples highlight the danger of allowing a non-elected, hereditary institution to retain even token political power.

At a more basic level, successive opinion polls have shown a certain amount of resentment at the extent of royal wealth and privilege in what the Prime Minister and others argue is a "classless society". So why has the monarchy survived? Social historians have claimed that when Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 she faced widespread public criticism. Revolutions and social upheavals in Europe and the rise in Britain of a radical Chartist movement that campaigned for democratic reforms added to the Queen's difficulties.

There were seven attempts to kill Queen Victoria between 1841 and 1882. By 1864 she had become such a recluse that posters began to appear outside Buckingham Palace announcing that it was to be sold or let "in consequence of the late occupant's declining business". Yet by the time of her funeral in 1901 the streets of London were thronged with affectionate crowds.

The growth of the British Empire and an upsurge of nationalism in the late 19-th century change the monarchy's public standing. In 1877, the Prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli, made the queen Empress of India. Her golden and diamond jubilee (in 1887 and 1897) were turned into fervent patriotic displays.

Walter Bagehot the famous political commentator, remarked at the time that the monarchy was "the most national thing in the nation... the standard to which the eye; of the people perpetually turn to keep then all together."

A century later, Britain's role in world affairs is much diminished. But the monarch remains head of the Commonwealth as well as of Britain.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14