The Bill of Rights and constitutional monarchy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how the Bill of Rights limited the power of the monarchy and increased the power of Parliament.
Key learning points
- William III of Orange was concerned that England may form an alliance with Catholic France against the Protestant Dutch.
- In November 1688 William of Orange, Protestant son-in-law to James II, landed in England and James fled for France.
- In 1669 a new Parliament met, which issued the Bill of Rights and offered William and Mary the crown.
- This declaration greatly limited the power of the monarchy by creating a constitutional monarchy.
- It established frequent Parliaments, free elections, freedom of speech within Parliament and other Parliamentary powers.
Keywords
Convention - a meeting of Parliament without a summons from the monarch
Bill - a draft of a proposed law presented to Parliament for discussion
Constitutional monarchy - a system in which the monarch must use their power in line with established laws
Common misconception
Monarchs need to secure their positions by imprisoning or killing any claimants to the throne.
Although many monarchs have acted in this way, there are countless examples of monarchs who tolerated the freedom of strong claimants to the throne in order to not appear despotic. William III of Orange is a good example.
Teacher tip
For Task B, encourage students to think carefully about the symbols and images they use as it can be quite challenging to tell a story without words. Encourage them to explain their choice of images and limit the number of words they can use, as this will get them to think harder about the topic.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Why did James II succeed Charles II?
Q2.Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
an assembly of people with authority to make laws for a country
an act of armed resistance to an established government or leader
person who believes in the faith & practices of the Church of England
Q3.Complete the sentence: James II expanded the size of the and appointed Catholics to important positions without Parliament's agreement.
Q4.Which of the following did James do which ensured a peaceful succession when he became king despite his religion?
Q5.Put the following events in chronological order.
Q6.Complete the sentence: When Parliament objected to James' measures in November 1685, James dismissed Parliament and they met again during his reign.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which keyword describes a system in which the monarch must use their power in line with established laws?
Q2.Which keyword describes a meeting of Parliament without a summons from the monarch?
Q3.Complete the sentence: The stadtholder (head of state) of the Dutch Republic was concerned that England may form an alliance with Catholic against the Protestant Dutch.
Q4.On 30th June 1688, the ‘Invitation to William’ was sent by the Earl of Romney. Who was the William it was addressed to?
Q5.Which of the following did the 1688 Bill of Rights establish?
Q6.Who was William married to?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The Bill of Rights and constitutional monarchy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The Bill of Rights and constitutional monarchy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The Glorious Revolution: how do historians' views of it differ? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.