Which principle did the English Bill of Rights help establish in England?

Which principle did the English Bill of Rights help establish in England?

• A. Divine Right of Kings
• B. Parliament's supremacy
• C. Absolutism
• D. Military dictatorship

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is that the English Bill of Rights shifted power toward Parliament and limited the king’s authority. It established that the monarch could not govern without Parliament’s consent, most notably in matters like taxation and laws, and it reinforced the idea that rulers are bound by legal limits and cannot override Parliament. This creates a constitutional framework in which Parliament is the authority that legitimizes taxation, laws, and key government actions, rather than the monarch being able to rule by unchecked prerogative. This is why Parliament’s supremacy is the best fit. Context helps: the Bill of Rights came after the Glorious Revolution, when William and Mary accepted these constitutional limits as a condition for ruling. The shift toward a constitutional monarchy meant the crown ruled with, not over, Parliament, and it laid groundwork for broader rights and legal constraints on royal power. Divine Right of Kings is not aligned with this; the Bill of Rights rejects the idea that the king rules by divine appointment or can ignore Parliament and laws. Absolutism and a military dictatorship describe systems of centralized or forceful rule that the Bill of Rights explicitly moves away from by promoting legal limits and parliamentary authority.

The key idea here is that the English Bill of Rights shifted power toward Parliament and limited the king’s authority. It established that the monarch could not govern without Parliament’s consent, most notably in matters like taxation and laws, and it reinforced the idea that rulers are bound by legal limits and cannot override Parliament. This creates a constitutional framework in which Parliament is the authority that legitimizes taxation, laws, and key government actions, rather than the monarch being able to rule by unchecked prerogative. This is why Parliament’s supremacy is the best fit.

Context helps: the Bill of Rights came after the Glorious Revolution, when William and Mary accepted these constitutional limits as a condition for ruling. The shift toward a constitutional monarchy meant the crown ruled with, not over, Parliament, and it laid groundwork for broader rights and legal constraints on royal power.

Divine Right of Kings is not aligned with this; the Bill of Rights rejects the idea that the king rules by divine appointment or can ignore Parliament and laws. Absolutism and a military dictatorship describe systems of centralized or forceful rule that the Bill of Rights explicitly moves away from by promoting legal limits and parliamentary authority.