The Rule of William of Orange
William III
William of Orange or William III was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland; it is a coincidence that his regal number (III) was the same for both Orange and England. William III was not an absolute ruler because when he ruled over England and Ireland he did not meet all three requirements an absolute ruler must meet. The conditions which a ruler must meet, to be considered absolute are taxing and spending, law making which they are above and the use of the military.
First an absolute ruler must be able to tax his people and spend the money in which that government makes. When William III ruled over England he could not get taxes from his people because of the Magna Carta, signed in 1215, which forbidden him to. So there was no way of getting around this. If William III needed anything he would have to ask the parliament for money/accommodations. This was a problem for a lot of rulers back then this basically prevented any English king to be absolute.
Second an absolute ruler has to be able to make laws for his country. William III did not pass any major laws while king of England but he did pass the Penal Laws in Ireland during his reign there. In Ireland, the "Penal Laws" is the name given to the code of laws passed by the Protestant Parliament of Ireland which regulated the status of Roman Catholics through most of the eighteenth century. These laws are important to understanding the history of the period as well as the sectarian conflicts that still plague Northern Ireland.
Last an absolute ruler should have full control over their military. After the Parliamentary elections of 1690, William began to favor the Tories, led by Danby and Nottingham. While the Tories favored preserving the king's prerogatives, William
William of Orange or William III was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland; it is a coincidence that his regal number (III) was the same for both Orange and England. William III was not an absolute ruler because when he ruled over England and Ireland he did not meet all three requirements an absolute ruler must meet. The conditions which a ruler must meet, to be considered absolute are taxing and spending, law making which they are above and the use of the military.
First an absolute ruler must be able to tax his people and spend the money in which that government makes. When William III ruled over England he could not get taxes from his people because of the Magna Carta, signed in 1215, which forbidden him to. So there was no way of getting around this. If William III needed anything he would have to ask the parliament for money/accommodations. This was a problem for a lot of rulers back then this basically prevented any English king to be absolute.
Second an absolute ruler has to be able to make laws for his country. William III did not pass any major laws while king of England but he did pass the Penal Laws in Ireland during his reign there. In Ireland, the "Penal Laws" is the name given to the code of laws passed by the Protestant Parliament of Ireland which regulated the status of Roman Catholics through most of the eighteenth century. These laws are important to understanding the history of the period as well as the sectarian conflicts that still plague Northern Ireland.
Last an absolute ruler should have full control over their military. After the Parliamentary elections of 1690, William began to favor the Tories, led by Danby and Nottingham. While the Tories favored preserving the king's prerogatives, William