The Bill of Rights 1689 is an act of the English Parliament that set out the rights of Parliament and of individuals, and limited the powers of the monarch. It followed the Glorious Revolution, in which James II was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, who accepted the declaration of rights as a condition of the crown. The act forbids the king from suspending laws or raising taxes without the consent of Parliament, and it guarantees free elections, freedom of speech in parliamentary debates and the right to petition. It also prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, and it was an important step towards constitutional monarchy. It influenced the American Bill of Rights.
Before and after
- from April 1688 to September 1697King William's War
- 21 May 1688Birth of Alexander Pope
- from September 1688 to September 1697Nine Years' War
- from 28 December 1688 to 1 January 1689Glorious Revolution
- 1689Bill of Rights 1689
- from 12 March 1689 to 3 October 1691Williamite War in Ireland
- 6 September 1689Treaty of Nerchinsk
- from February 1692 to May 1693Salem Witch Trials
- 13 February 1692Massacre of Glencoe
More in Wars, politics & history
- 25 September 1555Peace of Augsburg
- 1 July 1569Union of Lublin
- from 1683 to 1699Great Turkish War
- 26 January 1699Treaty of Karlowitz
- 1713Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
- 22 February 1732Birth of George Washington
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.