Question

handout c: excerpts from the petition of right (1628) iii. and where also by the statute called the great charter of the liberties of england, it is declared and enacted, that no freeman may be taken or imprisoned, or be disseised of his freehold or liberties, or his free customs, or be outlawed or exiled, or in any manner destroyed, but by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. iv. and in the eight and twentieth year of the reign of king edward the third, it was declared and enacted by authority of parliament, that no man of what estate or condition that he be, should be put out of his land and tenements, nor taken, nor imprisoned, nor disherited, nor put to death, without being brought to answer by due process of law. ix. and also sundry grievous offenders, by colour thereof claiming an exemption, have escaped the punishments due to them by the laws and statutes of this your realm, by reason that divers of your officers and ministers of justice have unjustly refused or forborn to proceed against such offenders according to the same laws and statutes, upon pretence that the said offenders were punishable only by martial law, and by authority of such commissions as aforesaid: which commissions, and all other of like nature, are wholly and directly contrary to the said laws and statutes of this your realm: xi. all which they most humbly pray of your most excellent majesty as their rights and liberties 4. base on this document, explain the historical circumstances that led to the developments described in document 4. 10 points

Explanation:

The Petition of Right (1628) was a response to perceived over - reach of royal power. King Charles I's actions such as arbitrary imprisonment, forced loans, and use of martial law without proper legal basis were controversial. Parliament, representing the interests of the people and the nobility, sought to re - establish and clarify the rights and liberties of Englishmen, as well as the proper role of the monarchy within the legal framework. These issues stemmed from long - standing tensions between the monarchy and Parliament over power and the rule of law in England.

Answer:

The historical circumstances were the over - reaching actions of King Charles I like arbitrary imprisonment, forced loans, and misuse of martial law, which led Parliament to seek to re - assert the rights and liberties of Englishmen and clarify the legal limits of the monarchy through the Petition of Right.