Functions and Forms of the English Government throughout History.

By Aideen Galligan.

The form and function of the English government has changed throughout history. During the Celtic times England was ruled by a monarchy. Then around 50 B.C. when the Roman Empire was in Europe the Romans ruled England. After the fall of the Roman Empire the feudal system was introduced; so kings and lords ruled different parts of the county and when the Magna Carta was written the government changed again. After the glorious revolution the government of England was changed dramatically again and during the Victorian era a King ruled.

During the Celtic time in England a monarchy ruled the country. The country was divided into tribes and in each tribe there was a king chosen by the clan. When a king died his power was passed down through the family. The king’s function was to provide protection for the clan if they were ever attacked.

Around 700 BC the Roman Empire ruled most of Europe; England included. The Emperor of decide to invade England to expand the empire. Lots of Legionaries invaded and the Celtic army was defeated causing England to be part of the Roman Empire. The function of the government during the time of the Roman Empire was to provide protection, social Protection, infrastructure and make laws. During this time large army were made to protect the empire from being invaded. The government provided social protection for the poor people who where know as plebeians. The

government gave them dole which they used to make bread. The government was also in charge of infrastructure; so they planned the building of roads and buildings. Another function of the government at the time was to make laws. The government was made up of rich people known as patricians so they made laws that suited them.

After the fall of the Roman Empire a new form of ruling a country was introduced called feudalism. During the Middle Ages kings and Lords ruled small parts of England. The king ruled by the divine right; so they believed that God had chosen them. The king owned the most land and needed it to be protected so he gave some of the land to soldiers in exchange for protection. Then the king needed people to work on his land so he gave small patches of land to peasants and in return they farmed his land and paid taxes to him. The kings job was to keep order in his area and to protect his people so large stone castles and walls were built for their protection. He also made laws and collected taxes from the people who lived on his land. Feudalism lasted a long time in England and the king was always a descendant of the previous king, so power was kept in the one family.

A huge changed happened to the English government when the Magna Carta was written, when King John was in power during the medieval period of history. The Magna Carta which means big piece of paper was signed in 1215.The Charter stated that on one will be denied justice and that people brought to a judge must be alive. The Magna Carta also stated that the king had to govern his land according to law; which reduced his power.

This all changed when James the 2nd was ruling England in 1688. This period in time is known as the glorious revolution. During this time it was agreed that parliament should decide who the king is.

During Victorian England the king ruled. During this time the function of the government was to defend its people and provide social and state protection. Laws were made and soon after courts and prisons were built and the police force kept order in England. Social protection was provided for those who needed it; workhouses were built and were funded by the rich people of the time. The state at the time also provided some protection through laws, for example they made laws about how old children had to be to work and how long they were allowed to work for.