Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did the Long Parliament limit the power of Charles I?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
English Civil Wars
Battle of Naseby, by an unknown artist. The victory of the Parliamentarian New Model Army, under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, over the Royalist army, commanded by Prince Rupert, at the Battle of Naseby (June 14, 1645) marked the decisive turning point in the English Civil War.
The Long Parliament, summoned in 1640, systematically dismantled the mechanisms of personal rule used by Charles I to limit his absolute authority and protect parliamentary existence.
Key measures taken to restrict the king included:
- Constitutional Safeguards: The Triennial Act (1641) mandated that Parliament be summoned at least every three years. Furthermore, the king was forced to sign an act forbidding the dissolution of the Long Parliament without its own consent.123
- Abolition of Prerogative Courts: Parliament abolished the Star Chamber and the Court of High Commission, which had been used to enforce unpopular political and ecclesiastical policies outside the bounds of common law.245
- Fiscal Reform: Parliament declared arbitrary fiscal expedients, such as ship money, to be illegal, effectively stripping the king of his ability to raise revenue without parliamentary approval.23
- Executive Accountability: Parliament pursued the impeachment and eventual execution of the king’s chief advisers, including the Earl of Strafford, to remove the architects of the king's policies.123