Bad John Research Paper

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England went through many phases in order to become a democratic country. It was not an easy thing and it did not happen overnight. England was ruled by many kings, some of them were bad while others were good. Each had his own effect on England's history. One of them was King John who was known in history as "Bad John". King John's reign started in an unfortunate way. His nephew, Prince Arthur of Brittany, was murdered in 1203. It was believed that King John was responsible for his death. Many believed that he killed him with his own bare hands, which made him the first royal murderer. This led to a rebellion by the people of Brittany against him. King John had many enemies. He had enemies in France and there were many…show more content…
The Magna Carta means "The Great Charter" in Latin. It marked the first step towards the English constitution. It also marked one of the first demands of democratic change in England's history. It stated that the king was not above the law and he was preventing from exploiting his power. It was considered as a statement of law that applied to the kings as well as the people. King John died shortly after that. His son, Henry III, was nine years old at that time and could not rule the country. Eventually, he became king and he was as bad as his father. King Henry's brother-in-low, Simon de Montfort, became one of his main advisers. However, after working closely with Henry, Simon de Montfort soon became aware that Henry was not a good leader. He also realised that it would be better if the barons had more effective role in running the country. This led to the Second Baron's War. There were two battles during this war. The first was the Battle of Lewes which de Montfort won. However, in the second battle, the Battle of Evesham, he was killed. That did not stop the barons from fighting. Even though he was killed, it was considered that Simon de Montfort and the barons won the…show more content…
There were representatives of the towns, the counties, the knights, the barons and the bishops. They would gather to discuss political issues. This was significant as it formed the basis of representative democracy. There were problems and disputes between the barons and the knights in the parliament which lasted for many years. When King Edward III ruled, he divided the parliament into two houses, House of Lords and House of Commons. The barons attended the House of Lords while the knights attended the House of Commons. The knights were not very rich. They were known for their armor and horses. They usually needed services when they travelled, so, they used to rest in inns. They were representatives of the House of Commons. The idea of the two houses of the parliament exists until today. Queen Elizabeth II's reign witnessed a great change in the parliament. She doesn't take part in the decision-making process. Instead, all the decisions are made by members of the House of Lords. She signs her name to every act of the parliament before it can be an official law of England. She doesn't get involved in running the government and doesn't speak her mind when it comes to political issues. This is an example of democracy in

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