English Bill Of RIghts
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English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights set out strict limits on the Royal Family's legal privileges. It strictly prohibited the arbitrary suspension of Parliament's laws. More importantly, it limited the right to raise money through taxation to Parliament. The English elite had greatly offended the protestant Church of England when they began promoting the Roman Catholic religion, in spite of laws that Parliament had passed.
Soon after William of Orange and his wife Mary were crowned King and Queen of England. (Mary was actually the daughter of the deposed King James II) in Westminster Abbey on April 11, 1689. As part of their oaths, the new King William III and Queen Mary were required to swear that they would obey the laws of Parliament. The Bill was completely passed through Parliament after the coronation ceremony for William and Mary. On December 16, 1689, the King and Queen gave it Royal Assent, which represented the end of the concept of divine right of kings. The Bill of Rights was designed to control the power of kings and queens. Another key factor was to make them subject to laws passed by Parliament. This has formally been called the "bloodless revolution" or the "glorious revolution."
The Bill of Rights was one of three very important laws made at this time. The other two were the 1689 Toleration Act (which promoted religious toleration) and the 1694 Triennial Act, which prevented the King from dissolving Parliament at his will and held that general elections had to be held every three years...