European Monarchies

After the introduction of the feudal system to Europe in the time of Charlemagne, it continued to flourish for centuries. Landlords took the place of monarch for many peasants and commoners, until around the ninth century A.D. when many places in Europe began establishing national monarchies, creating many of the modern European countries we are familiar with today. The creation of these consolidated kingdoms, along with the natural progression of social organization and technology, triggered many changes in government, often ones that leaned towards social and political progress in favor of the people (or at least anybody who wasn’t king). Perhaps one of the most influential changes which occurred during the creation of national monarchies …show more content…
The first was the switch from Sallic law to primogeniture, which removed the necessity of splitting a kingdom between all heirs at each generation. Primogeniture, which was adopted in almost all European countries by the year 1000 A.D., allowed the king to pass the throne solely to his eldest son, without as much threat of war between brothers and thus allowing dynasties to progress more peacefully. The next valuable change was that the creation of one of two models for monarchies, the constitutional monarchy. This was created famously by the English in the late 12th and early 13th centuries A.D., during the dynasty of the Norman kings. Starting with Kings Henry I and Henry II, the rulers requested council from the Witanagemot (council of wise nobility), allowing the nobility definite say in the actions of their monarch. Following more changes and minor rebellion towards King John (Richard the Lionheart’s younger brother), he signed the Magna Carta in 1215, a hugely important document in the history of democracy and republic government. The Magna Carta demanded that the king operate under the law of the land, which was determined by both him and his council. Most importantly, it gave the people the right to rebel against any monarch if he was not following the majority of the council and the nobility’s wishes. Shortly after this, John’s …show more content…
With the loss of these practices, however, a sense of security was gained for people who suddenly had a say in when their king went to war, when their taxes were raised, and who they swore allegiance to. National monarchies achieved a balance of national and local government, something which prior to even the year 1100 A.D. proved clumsy and awkward at best due to the difficulty of long-distance communication. With the progression of trade and commerce, governments and their abilities to provide safe lives for their people progressed as