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The beginning of constitutional monarchy

Study note

The laws passed after 1688 marked the beginning of what we call a constitutional monarchy. This is the system, still in place today, in which the monarch remains important but cannot rule however he or she likes. It is not an absolute monarchy, a republic or a dictatorship, so watch for those wrong answers.

Under this system the king could no longer force through policies that Parliament had rejected, and a new Parliament had to be elected on a regular basis. Parliament also took on the right to decide who could be monarch in the first place, and it ruled that the king or queen had to be a Protestant rather than a Catholic. These principles shaped the way Britain has been governed ever since.

Memory tip: Constitutional monarchy: the king reigns but cannot overrule Parliament; the monarch must be Protestant.

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Question 1 of 3

What is the name for the system, begun after 1688, in which the monarch's power is limited by Parliament?

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Show all questions and answers for The beginning of constitutional monarchy(3 questions with explanations)

The beginning of constitutional monarchy: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. What is the name for the system, begun after 1688, in which the monarch's power is limited by Parliament?

    • Absolute monarchy
    • Republic
    • Constitutional monarchy
    • Dictatorship

    Correct answer: Constitutional monarchy

    The changes after the Glorious Revolution began the system of constitutional monarchy.

  2. 2. After the Glorious Revolution, what did Parliament decide the monarch had to be?

    • A landowner
    • A soldier
    • A Catholic
    • A Protestant

    Correct answer: A Protestant

    Parliament ruled that the king or queen had to be a Protestant.

  3. 3. Under constitutional monarchy, the monarch could no longer force through policies that Parliament rejected.

    • True
    • False

    Correct answer: True

    True. The monarch remained important but could not overrule Parliament.

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