Crown against Parliament
Who held power in 1625, 1650 and 1700?
Can you show the shift from crown to Parliament as a measurable line?
Watch first
An English teaching video on this topic from British Library. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
What you need
Tick each one as you find it — 0 of 3 ready.
Plan the fair test
- Change: The date you are judging (1625, 1650, 1700)
- Measure: Your score out of ten for how much power Parliament held
- Keep the same: The same five tests, worded identically at every date
Objectives this evidences
- Understand the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745, including the English Reformation and its impact
- Understand how the emergence and growth of Parliament shaped political power in Britain
Do it, one step at a time
Step 1 of 5
- Step 1. Draw a scale from 0 (all power to the monarch) to 10 (all power to Parliament).
- Step 2. Agree five tests you will apply at each date: who can raise taxes, who can call or dismiss Parliament, who controls the army, who chooses ministers, who can be removed from office.
- Step 3. Score each test out of two for 1625, then for 1650, then for 1700, using the same wording of the test each time.
- Step 4. Plot the three totals on your scale and join them up.
- Step 5. Write a paragraph on the steepest section of your line and explain what caused it.
What should happen
The line rises sharply between 1625 and 1650, dips after 1660, then rises again after 1688. Power moved in steps and setbacks, not a smooth slope.
Think about: Someone else scoring the same five tests would get a different total. Does that make the method useless, or is the shape of the line the real finding?
Write up your result
A sentence or two is enough to save it.
The lessons behind this practical
Each one opens with the same short film, and the film has a written transcript underneath if reading is easier than watching.
Now the quiz for this topic
Questions come from the lessons behind this practical, so nothing is asked that has not been taught.
Quiz
Crown against Parliament quiz
4 questions from the lessons in this stage. No timer, and you can try again as many times as you like.