Aspect of Democracy

Although democracy has just been understood as a management style in which ordinary people have a say, it has taken centuries for today's idea of democracy to develop. Also, no country has a history of democracy as unique as Britain's. England, as an island country in Europe, is a country that has a long history of democracy. It is also the land where the parliament emerged at the earliest times. The first law supported democracy and restricted the ruler in the historical sense when the Magna Carta was born. 

Looking at medieval England, it could be observed that there were injustice, oppressive, and ruthless governments where oppression and cruelty were common. In the thirteenth century, King John, one of the most unpopular kings in England's history, appeared. Since the Middle Ages, English barons and dignitaries were against the arbitrariness of the monarchy. In that period, there were conflicts between the British nobility and the king. The loss of the war with France in 1214 caused the loss of King John's value and authority among his citizens. Thereupon, the nobles who took advantage of this revolted against King John in 1215 and made a series of requests to protect their rights. Unable to risk war with the nobles, King John signed the document called "Magna Carta Liberatum" (Great Charter of Freedoms) prepared by the Archbishop of Canterbury on 15 June 1215, which can be regarded as a kind of Constitution today. 

With this document signed between the nobles and the King, the King restricted his rights and acknowledged that he had constitutional power over his own. Referring to the important articles of the Magna Carta, it is stated in this contract that no one can be subjected to arbitrary practices, and no one can be imprisoned, arrested, or property taken without resorting to the law. These articles are important in terms of laying the foundation of today's legal system. Magna Carta consists of sixty-three items. It has been stated that justice cannot be bought, and this justice applies to all citizens. In addition, there are articles such as no action, use of force, and no arbitrary tax collection from the public without consulting the board, as required by law. With all these features, the Magna Carta is an important agreement in the history of democracy.

In a sense, it can be accepted as a Human Rights Convention. After the Magna Carta was signed, it has been renewed many times, and some of its articles have been changed. The process continued until 1297. At that time, the original text was accepted as an element of English fundamental law. Although clergy and nobility benefited from the rights and freedoms offered by the Magna Carta at first, over time, all citizens began to benefit from these rights and freedoms. Although the Magna Carta, an agreement extending to democracy, lost its importance over time when it was first signed, every king who ascended the throne had to ratify this agreement, and it was ratified forty-four times in total until the death of Henry V. With the signing of Magna Carta, a parliamentary system was introduced in England. As of the thirteenth century, parliaments started to gain strength gradually. The development of the British Parliament is also important in terms of democratization. After the 12th century, the clergy and barons who attended the consultation meetings of the king became permanent by increasing their officials in the following periods.

In the later period, King III. Henry—who took the throne—struggled to get back the rights he lost because of the Magna Carta. However, it agreed to make a series of reforms with the 1258 Oxford Edict, which is considered the first constitution of England. With this edict, democratic developments have accelerated. With this edict, a council of fifteen people was formed by the barons to supervise the administration by advising the king. In the later process, Henry was forced to establish and convene the first British parliament in 1264. In time, the great council, which came out of the advisory council, became a parliament as of 1265 with the participation of church representatives in the 13th century. Edward restored stability in general throughout his reign. During the Edwardian period, important activities were carried out in terms of transition to the parliamentary system, and the participation of the community representatives in the administration was ensured during this period. Significant progress has been made in the systematic tax and legal fields. Also in this period, the Grand Council (Magnum Concilium) was formed with the participation of two bourgeois and two knights for each committee, as well as the baron and the clergy. There were barons, clergy, knights, burgeois, and church representatives within the constituted parliamentary structure, and these members grouped among themselves and formed the High House (House of Lords) and Lower House (House of Commons). The following centuries witnessed the power struggles between the king, the House of Lords, and the Houses of Commons. The most prominent example of this was seen during the Tüdor and Stuart dynasties, which would rule in England in the later period. 

In the following period of the uprising, long years of wars and diseases caused great destruction for England; the period of the Tüdor Dynasty started in England. In this period, it is seen that the King is superior to the Parliament. During this period, there were various struggles between the Parliament and the Council of the King. As a result of these struggles, the "Impeachment" institution was accepted and put into effect. Thus, the condition of the members of the Council to be recognized by the Council was made, and the way for these members to be sentenced to death, imprisonment, and exile following their trial due to their illegal acts and actions. The possibility of the Parliament applying to the impeachment had a positive effect on the king's advisors, and the cabinet consciousness began to take hold by increasing the solidarity among the advisors. Since the impeachment, the most important political affairs are the beginning of today's cabinet, which consists of ministers. By 1536, the Parliament had won a victory over the King's advisers and gained the power to impeach, subjecting them to criminal liability. In the next period, the superiority of the parliament is striking in the Stuart Dynasty. 

England's democracy journey, which started with the Magna Carta in the thirteenth century, is important for both British history and world history. As of the thirteenth century and with a written document, it is a process in which a culture that never allows absolute monarchy has developed. This process enabled the limitation of the central power in the following periods and prevented the strengthening of the central authority. 

Thus, it enabled the development of democracy and concepts such as justice and equality to come to the fore. This conception of freedom and equality that emerged has been developed over time and has provided the current understanding of democracy.

REFERENCES: David, M. (1989). An Illustrated History of Britain. (21st impression, 2006).