Questions

1. What was (a) a Witan; and (b) the Curia Regis?
2. What important principle is Magna Carta best known for?
3. What was Simon de Montfort’s legacy?
4. Why was it important for the monarch to require Parliament’s consent when making laws and imposing taxation?
5. What was the constitutional settlement achieved by the Bill of Rights 1689?
6. Explain the significance of extending the right to vote to all adults.

Answers

1. (a) Literally a meeting of wise men, a council of bishops, noblemen and officials who assembled to discuss and advise on laws, taxes, and administration; (b) the King’s Court which carried out all state business i.e. doing what Parliament, the government and the law courts now do.
2. The king did not have absolute power and was not above the law.
3. He initiated Parliament.
4. It is based on the idea that ‘what concerns all should be approved by all’. In law-making and imposing taxes, it was important for the king to consult the representatives of the people in Parliament to ascertain what was desirable and what would not be tolerated.
5. It rebalanced power, limiting the power of the monarch and strengthening the powers of Parliament. It established the King-in-Parliament who made law with Parliament’s consent and sowed the seeds of modern Parliamentary sovereignty.
6. It produces a more representative Parliament, particularly important in law-making and taxation.