The Monarchy of Great Britain

CONTENTS

Introduction

Part I. History of the monarchy

1.1 The reign of Anglo-Saxon Kings

1.2 The role of Normans in the history of the Monarchy

1.3 The reforms of Angevins and Plantagenets

1.4 The Tudor period in the history of England

1.5 The decline in the Sovereign's power

Part II. The monarchy today

2.1 The Queen's role in the modern State

2.2 Royal visits and the Queen's working day

2.3 The Queen's ceremonial duties

Summary

List of literature used

INTRODUCTION

The topic of our course paper is some aspects of the development of the Monarchy of Great Britain. The main aim of our work is to study the development of the Monarchy from Anglo-Saxon period to our days, to show the Queen's role in the modern State.

The British Monarchy is a very popular institution largely due to the fact that it doesn't actually govern. The Sovereign has wide theoretical powers, but they are seldom used. He or she has the power to prevent any politician establishing a dictatorship.

This topic is very interesting and actual nowadays, because the Monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is vested in a single person whose right to rule generally hereditary and who is empowered to remain in office for life. But in Great Britain since the beginning of the eighteenth century the Monarch has become a constitutional monarch which means that he or she is bound by rules and remains politically impartial.

The tasks of our course paper are to study thoroughly the process of the development of the Monarchy of Great Britain during different historical periods (Anglo- Saxons, Normans, Angevins, Plantagenets, Tudors); to show how the role and the influence of the Monarchy were changed during every period.

Studying the history of the Monarchy has very important theoretical and practical value. The colorful ceremonies and traditions associated with the British Monarchy are rich in history and meaning and fascinating to watch. In some the Queen takes part in person. In others the ceremony is performed in the Queen's name. Great Britain keep it's traditions and the Monarch is a part of these traditions.

Political stability owes much to the Monarchy. It's continuity has been interrupted only once (the republic of 1649-1660) in over a thousand years.

Today the Monarchy is an anachronism, a thing out of place in our modern world. Furthermore, the Monarchy is something negative. It was tyranny, it meant abuse of power, oppression, arbitrariness.

Comparing the Monarchy with others kinds of powers we can say that a monarch is almost invariably more popular than an Executive President, who can be elected by less than 50% of the electorate and may therefore represent less than half the people. In Britain, governments are formed on the basis of parliamentary seats won. The Queen however, as hereditary Head of State, remains the representative of the whole nation.

Elected presidents are concerned more with their own political futures and power, and may use their temporary tenure to enrich themselves. Monarchs are not subject to the influences which corrupt short-term presidents. A monarch looks back on centuries of history and forward to the well being of the entire nation under his/her heir. Elected presidents in their nature devote much energy to undoing the achievements of their forebears in order to strengthen the position of their successors.

Many scientists studied the history of the development of the Monarchy of Great Britain. Among them are C. Read, who studied the Tudor period. G Davies was interested in the Stuart period and had made many interesting conclusions about this period. S.L. Mowart studied the history of the Monarchy since 1914.

PART I. THE HISTORY OF THE MONARCHY

1.1 THE REIGN OF ANGLO- SAXON KINGS

The history of the English Crown up to the Union of the Crowns in 1603 is long and varied. The concept of a single ruler unifying different tribes based in England developed in the eighth and ninth centuries in figures such as Offa and Alfred the Great, who began to create centralized systems of government. Following the Norman Conquest, the machinery of government developed further, producing long-lived national institutions including Parliament.

The current British monarchy can trace its ancestral lineage back to the Anglo-Saxon period, and ultimately back to the kings of the Angles. During the ninth century, Wessex came to dominate other kingdoms in England, especially as a result of the extinction of rival lines in England during the First Viking Age, and during the tenth century England was consolidated into a single realm.[1, p.13 ]

The Middle Ages saw several fierce contests for the Crown, culminating in the Wars of the Roses, which lasted for nearly a century. The conflict was finally ended with the advent of the Tudors, the dynasty which produced some of England's most successful rulers and a flourishing cultural Renaissance. The end of the Tudor line with the death of the 'Virgin Queen' in 1603 brought about the Union of the Crowns with Scotland.

In the Dark Ages during the fifth and sixth centuries, communities of peoples in Britain inhabited homelands with ill-defined borders. Such communities were organized and led by chieftains or king. Egbert was known as the first King of All England. Aethelwulf was the son of Egbert and a sub-king of Kent. Aethelwulf is remembered as a highly religious man who cared about the establishment and preservation of the church. He was also a wealthy man and controlled vast resources. Out of these resources, he gave generously, to Rome and to religious houses that were in need.

Alfred was the fifth son of Aethelwulf . Alfred's concept of kingship extended beyond the administration of the tribal kingdom of Wessex into a broader context. He recognised that the general deterioration in learning and religion caused by the Vikings' destruction of monasteries (the centres of the rudimentary education network) had serious implications for rulership. For example, the poor standards in Latin had led to a decline in the use of the charter as an instrument of royal government to disseminate the king's instructions and legislation. In one of his prefaces, Alfred wrote: “So general was its [Latin] decay in England that there were very few on this side of the Humber who could understand their rituals in English or translate a letter from Latin into English , so few that I cannot remember a single one south of the Thames when I came to the throne.” [3, p. 25]

To improve literacy, Alfred arranged, and took part in the translation from Latin into Anglo-Saxon of a handful of books he thought it 'most needful for men to know, and to bring it to pass. Once he said: “ If we have the peace, that all the youth now in England , may be devoted to learning”.[3, p27] These books covered history, philosophy and Gregory the Great's 'Pastoral Care' (a handbook for bishops), and copies of these books were sent to all the bishops of the kingdom.

Like other West Saxon kings, Alfred established a legal code; he assembled the laws of Offa and other predecessors, and of the kingdoms of Mercia and Kent, adding his own administrative regulations to form a definitive body of Anglo-Saxon law. By stopping the Viking advance and consolidating his territorial gains, Alfred had started the process by which his successors eventually extended their power over the other Anglo-Saxon kings; the ultimate unification of Anglo-Saxon England was to be led by Wessex. It is for his valiant defence of his kingdom against a stronger enemy, for securing peace with the Vikings and for his farsighted reforms in the reconstruction of Wessex and beyond, that Alfred - alone of all the English kings and queens - is known as 'the Great'.Well-trained by Alfred, his son Edward 'the Elder' (reigned 899-924) defeated the Danes in Northumbria at Tettenhall in 910 and was acknowledged by the Viking kingdom of York. By military success and patient planning, Edward spread English influence and control. Edward was able to establish an administration for the kingdom of England, whilst obtaining the allegiance of Danes, Scots and Britons.

Edward's heir Athelstan (reigned 925-39) was also a distinguished and audacious soldier who pushed the boundaries of the kingdom to their furthest extent yet.

Athelstan's law codes strengthened royal control over his large kingdom; currency was regulated to control silver's weight and to penalise fraudsters. Buying and selling was mostly confined to the burghs, encouraging town life; areas of settlement in the midlands and Danish towns were consolidated into shires.

He also had extensive cultural and religious contacts.

We must say about Edgar (959-975)He was a firm and capable ruler. New bishoprics were created, Benedictine monasteries were reformed and old monastic sites were re-endowed with royal grants, some of which were of land recovered from the Vikings.

A more united kingdom based on royal justice and order was emerging; the Monastic Agreement praised Edgar as 'the glorious, by the grace of Christ illustrious king of the English and of the other peoples dwelling within the bounds of the island of Britain'. One of the famous Anglo-Saxons Kings was Edward 111, the Confessor (1042-66AD).He was the oldest son of Aethelred II and Emma. The reigns of most of the Angevin monarchs were marred by civil strife and conflicts between the monarch and the nobility.[7, p.12]

He had gone to Normandy in 1013, when his father and mother had fled from England. He stayed there during the reign of Canute and, at his death in 1035, led an abortive attempt to capture the crown for himself. He was recalled, for some reason, to the court of Hardicanute, his half-brother. Edward's greatest achievement was the construction of a new cathedral, where virtually all English monarchs from William the Conqueror onward would be crowned.

The eleventh century saw England become more stable, despite a number of wars with the Danes which resulted in a Danish monarchy for some years. When William, Duke of Normandy conquered England in 1066 he became monarch of a kingdom with probably the strongest royal authority in Europe. The Norman Conquest was crucial in British history, in terms of both political and social change. The new monarch continued the centralization of power begun in the Anglo-Saxon period, while the Feudal System also continued to develop.

1.2 THE ROLE OF NORMANS IN THE HISTORY OF THE MONARCHY

The Normans came to govern as a result of one of the most famous battles in English history, the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

William I “The Conqueror” (1066-1087) took part in the war. The expenses of numerous campaigns, together with an economic slump (caused by the shifts in landed wealth, and the devastation of northern England for military and political reasons), prompted William to order a full-scale investigation into the actual and potential wealth of the kingdom to maximise tax revenues. His reach extended elsewhere into the Church and the legal system. William used his bishops to carry out administrative duties. At his coronation, he promised to uphold existing laws and customs. The Anglo-Saxon shire courts and 'hundred' courts (which administered defence and tax, as well as justice matters) remained intact, as did regional variations and private Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions. To strengthen royal justice, William relied on sheriffs (previously smaller landowners, but replaced by influential nobles) to supervise the administration of justice in existing county courts, and sent members of his own court to conduct important trials. However, the introduction of Church courts, the mix of Norman/Roman law and the differing customs led to a continuing complex legal framework. Nevertheless the King maintained peace and order.[7,p. 15]

His son William II extended his father's policies, taking royal power to the far north of England. William's younger brother Henry succeeded to the throne. He successfully sought to increase royal revenues, However, it was his nephew Stephen (reigned 1135-54), who succeeded Henry after his death, as the barons mostly opposed the idea of a female ruler.

1.3 THE REFORMS OF ANGEVINS AND PLANTAGENETS

After Richard III's death in 1485., four distinct Royal Houses can be identified: Angevin, Plantagenet, Lancaster and York.

The first Angevin King, Henry II, began the period as arguably the most powerful monarch in Europe, with lands stretching from the Scottish borders to the Pyrenees. His legal reforms have led him to be seen as the founder of English Common Law. The reigns of most of the Angevin monarchs were marred by civil strife and conflicts between the monarch and the nobility

In 1199 John became king. He was an able administrator interested in law and government but he neither trusted others nor was trusted by them. Heavy taxation, disputes with the Church and unsuccessful attempts to recover his French possessions made him unpopular. Many of his barons rebelled and in June 1215 they forced the King to sign a peace treaty accepting their reforms. This treaty, later known as Magna Carta, limited royal powers, defined feudal obligations between the King and the barons, and guaranteed a number of rights. Magna Carta as his people, and that the rights of individuals were to be upheld even against the wishes of the sovereign. As a source of fundamental constitutional principles, Magna Carta came to be seen as an important definition of aspects of English law, and in later centuries as the basis of the liberties of the English people. [6, p.50]

The Plantagenet period was dominated by conflicts at home and abroad. For the next century, the crown would be disputed by two conflicting family strands, the Lancastrians and the Yorkists.

The period also saw the development of new social institutions and a distinctive English culture. Parliament emerged and grew. The judicial reforms begun in the reign of Henry II were continued and completed by Edward I. Culture began to flourish. During the early part of the period, the architectural style of the Normans gave way to the Gothic, Westminster Abbey was rebuilt and the majority of English cathedrals remodeled, while the universities of Oxford and Cambridge had their origins in this period. Royal authority was restored by the Statute of Marlborough (1267), in which the King also promised to uphold Magna Carta and some of the Provisions of Westminster.[14, p.90]

The Parliament appeared. To raise money, Edward summoned Parliament - up to 1286 he summoned Parliaments twice a year. (The word 'Parliament' came from the 'parley' or talks which the King had with larger groups of advisers.) Edward used his royal authority to establish the rights of the Crown at the expense of traditional feudal privileges, to promote the uniform administration of justice, to raise income to meet the costs of war and government, and to codify the legal system. In doing so, his methods emphasised the role of Parliament and the common law.

1.4 THE TUDOR PERIOD IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND

The five sovereigns of the Tudor dynasty are among the most well-known figures in Royal history.

During this period, England developed into one of the leading European colonial powers, with men such as Sir Walter Raleigh taking part in the conquest of the New World. Nearer to home, campaigns in Ireland brought the country under strict English control.

Culturally and socially, the Tudor period saw many changes. The Tudor court played a prominent part in the cultural Renaissance taking place in Europe, nurturing all-round individuals such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser and Cardinal Wolsey. The Tudor period also saw the turbulence of two changes of official religion, resulting in the martyrdom of many innocent believers of both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Henry VII greatly strengthened the monarchy by employing many political innovations to outmaneuver the nobility, he established the Court of the Star Chamber to increase royal involvement in civil and criminal cases; and as an alternative to a revenue tax disbursement from Parliament, he imposed forced loans and grants on the nobility He summoned the Reformation Parliament in 1529, which passed 137 statutes in seven years and exercised an influence in political and ecclesiastic affairs which was unknown to the prospect of a Catholic king.

The current British monarchy can trace its ancestral lineage back to the Anglo-Saxon period, and ultimately back to the kings of the Angles. During the ninth century, Wessex came to dominate other kingdoms in England, especially as a result of the extinction of rival lines in England during the First Viking Age, and during the tenth century England was consolidated into a single realm.

1.5 THE DECLINE IN THE SOVEREIGN'S POWER

The 16th and 17th cent. mark the height of absolute monarchy, which found its theoretical justification in the doctrine of divine right. However, even the powerful monarchs of the 17th cent. were somewhat limited by custom and constitution as well as by the delegation of powers to strong bureaucracies. Such limitations were also felt by the “benevolent despots” of the 18th cent. Charles II's reign was marked by the development of the first modern political parties in England. Charles had no legitimate children, and was due to be succeeded by his Roman Catholic brother, James, Duke of York. There arose a parliamentary effort to exclude James from the line of succession; the "Abhorrers," who opposed it, became the Tory Party, whereas the "Petitioners," who supported it, became the Whig Party. The Exclusion Bill, however, failed; on several occasions, Charles II dissolved Parliament because he feared that the bill might pass. After the dissolution of the Parliament of 1681, Charles ruled as an absolute monarch until his death in 1685.[13, p.18]

Changes in intellectual climate, in the demands made upon government in a secular and commercially expanding society, and in the social structure, as the bourgeoisie became increasingly powerful, eventually weakened the institution of monarchy in Europe. The Glorious Revolution in England (1688) and the French Revolution (1789) were important landmarks in the decline and limitation of monarchical power. Throughout the 19th cent. Royal power was increasingly reduced by constitutional provisions and parliamentary incursions. In the 20th cent., monarchs have generally become symbols of national unity, while real power has been transferred to constitutional assemblies.

The revolution of 1688 led to that fact “ Kings were Kings, but they did not reign.” The kings of that time had no influence on the political life of the country. Despite this decline in the Sovereign's power, Queen Victoria showed that a monarch who had a high level of prestige and who was prepared to master the details of political life could exert an important influence. This was demonstrated by her mediation between the Commons and the Lords, during the acrimonious passing of the Irish Church Disestablishment Act of 1869 and the 1884 Reform Act. It was during Victoria's reign that the modern idea of the constitutional monarch, whose role was to remain above political parties, began to evolve. After the Second Reform Act of 1867, and the growth of the two-party (Liberal and Conservative) system, the Queen's room for manoeuvre decreased. Throughout the 19th cent. Royal power was increasingly reduced by constitutional provisions and parliamentary incursions. In the 20th cent., monarchs have generally become symbols of national unity, while real power has been transferred to constitutional assemblies. Over the past 200 years democratic self-government has been established and extended to such an extent that a true functioning monarchy is a rare occurrence in both East and West.[8 p.13]

During the nineteenth and twentieth century, kings and queens of the United Kingdom have fulfilled the varied duties of constitutional monarchy. One of their most important roles was national figureheads lifting public morale during the devastating world wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45.

The period saw the modernization of the monarchy in tandem with the many social changes. During this period British monarchs have also played a vital part in promoting international relations, retaining ties with former colonies in their role as Head of the Commonwealth.[9, p.10]

Monarchy, as an institution in Europe, all but disappeared during the two World Wars: a scant ten monarchs remain today, seven of which have familial ties to England. Elizabeth is, by far, the best known of these, and is the most widely traveled Head of State in the world. Her ascension was accompanied by constitutional innovation; each independent, self-governing country proclaimed Elizabeth, Queen of their individual state. She approves of the transformation from Empire to Commonwealth, describing the change as a "beneficial and civilized metamorphosis." The indivisibility of the crown was formally abandoned by statute in 1953, and "Head of the Commonwealth" was added to the long list of royal titles which she possesses.

Elizabeth's travels have won the from Sarah Ferguson have been followed by further indiscretions by the princes, causing a heavily-taxed populace to rethink the necessity of a monarchy. Perhaps Elizabeth will not reign as long as Victoria, but her exceptionally long reign has provided a bright spot in the life of her country.

PART II. THE MONACHY TODAY

2.1 THE QUEEN'S ROLE IN THE MODERN STATE

The Queen is the United Kingdom's Head of State. As well as carrying out significant constitutional functions, The Queen also acts as a focus for national unity, presiding at ceremonial occasions, visiting local communities and representing Britain around the world. The Queen is also Head of the Commonwealth. During her reign she has visited all the Commonwealth countries, going on 'walkabouts' to gain direct contact with people from all walks of life throughout the world.

Behind and in front of the cameras, The Queen's work goes on. No two days in The Queen's working life are ever the same.

Until the end of the 17th century, British monarchs were executive monarchs - that is, they had the right to make and pass legislation. Since the beginning of the eighteenth century, the monarch has become a constitutional monarch, which means that he or she is bound by rules and conventions and remains politically impartial.[5, p.31]

On almost all matters he or she acts on the advice of ministers. While acting constitutionally, the Sovereign retains an important political role as Head of State, formally appointing prime ministers, approving certain legislation and bestowing honours.

The Queen also has important roles to play in other organisations, including the Armed Forces and the Church of England.

The Queen is not only Queen of the United Kingdom, but Head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 independent countries.

Most of these countries have progressed from British rule to independent self-government, and the Commonwealth now serves to foster international cooperation and trade links between people all over the world.

The Queen is also Queen of a number of Commonwealth realms, including House of Lords and the House of Commons. It is the prerogative of the monarch to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The Sovereign is one of the three components of Parliament; the others are the summon, prorogue, and dissolve Parliament. Each parliamentary session begins with the Although the monarch's powers are vast in theory, they are limited in practice. As a constitutional monarch, the Sovereign acts within the constraints of convention and precedent, almost always exercising the Royal Prerogative on the advice of the Prime Minister and other ministers.

Sovereign is responsible for appointing a new Prime Minister; the appointment is formalised at a ceremony known as Kissing Hands. In accordance with unwritten constitutional conventions, the Sovereign must appoint the individual most likely to maintain the support of the House of Commons: usually, the leader of the party which has a majority in that House.

The Sovereign appoints and dismisses Cabinet and other ministers on the Prime Minister's advice. Thus, in practice, the Prime Minister, and not the Sovereign, exercises control over the composition of the Cabinet. The monarch may, in theory, unilaterally dismiss a Prime Minister, but convention and precedent bar such an action.[11, p.27]

The powers that belong to the Crown are collectively known as the Royal Prerogative. The Royal Prerogative includes many powers (such as the powers to make treaties or send ambassadors) as well as certain duties (such as the duties to defend the realm and to maintain the Queen's peace). As the British monarchy is a constitutional monarch's summons. The new parliamentary session is marked by the State Opening of Parliament, during which the Sovereign reads the Speech from the Throne in the Chamber of the House of Lords, outlining the Government's legislative agenda. Prorogation usually occurs about one year after a session begins, and formally concludes the session. Dissolution ends a parliamentary term (which lasts a maximum of five years), and is followed by general elections for all seats in the House of Commons. These powers, however, are always exercised on the Prime Minister's advice.

All laws are enacted in the monarch's name. The words “be enacted” by the Queen's [King's] most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows," known as the enacting formula, form a part of each Act of Parliament. Before a bill can become law, the Royal Assent (the monarch's approval) is required. The Sovereign may, in theory, either grant the Royal Assent (make the bill law) or withhold the Royal Assent (veto the bill). In practice, however, the Royal Assent is always granted.[4,p.54]

The Royal Prerogative, in addition, extends to foreign affairs. The Sovereign may negotiate and ratify treaties, alliances, and international agreements; no parliamentary approval is required. However, a treaty cannot alter the domestic laws of the United Kingdom; an Act of Parliament is necessary in such cases. The Sovereign also accredits British High Commissioners and ambassadors, and receives diplomats from foreign states. In addition, all British passports are issued in the monarch's name.

Furthermore, the Sovereign is deemed the fount of justice, and is responsible for rendering justice for all subjects. The Sovereign does not personally rule in judicial cases; instead, judicial functions are performed in his or her name. For instance, prosecutions are brought on the monarch's behalf, and courts derive their authority from the Crown. The common law holds that the Sovereign "can do no wrong"; the monarch cannot be prosecuted in his or her own courts for criminal offences. The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 allows civil lawsuits against the Crown in its public capacity (that is, lawsuits against the government); however, lawsuits against the monarch personally are not cognizable. The Sovereign also exercises the "prerogative of mercy," and may pardon offences against the Crown. Pardons may be awarded before, during, or after a trial.[2,p.42]

Similarly, the monarch is also the fount of honour, or the source of all honours and dignities in the United Kingdom. Thus, the Crown creates all peerages, appoints members of the orders of chivalry, grants knighthoods, and awards other honours. In practice, peerages and most other honours are granted on the advice of the Prime Minister. Some honours, however, are within the personal gift of the Sovereign, and are not granted on ministerial advice. Thus, the monarch alone appoints members of the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Royal Victorian Order, and the Order of Merit.

Finally, the Sovereign is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the officially established church in England. As such, the monarch has the power to appoint archbishops and bishops.

The Prime Minister, however, chooses the appointee, though he or she must select from a list of nominees prepared by the Crown Nominations Commission. The Crown's role in the Church of England is titular; the most senior clergyman, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is seen as the spiritual leader of the Church and of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The monarch is only an ordinary member, and not the head or leader, of the Church of Scotland; however, he or she does hold the power to appoint the Lord High Commissioner to the Church's General Assembly. The Sovereign plays no formal role in the Church in Wales and the Church of Ireland, neither of which is an established

The Sovereign is known as "His Majesty" or "Her Majesty", though, in certain formal circumstances, "Most Gracious Majesty" or "Most Excellent Majesty" is used instead.[3]

2.2 ROYAL VISITS AND THE QUEEN'S WORKING DAY

Visits to all kinds of places throughout the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and overseas are an important part of the work of The Queen and members of the Royal family. They allow members of the Royal family to meet people from all walks of life and backgrounds, to celebrate local and national achievements and to strengthen friendships between different countries. Many of the visits are connected to charities and other organisations with which members of the Royal family are associated. In other cases, royal visits help to celebrate historic occasions in the life of a region or nation. All visits are carefully planned to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to see or meet members of the Royal family.The Queen has many different duties to perform every day. Some are familiar public duties, such as Investitures, ceremonies, receptions or visits within the United Kingdom or abroad. Away from the cameras, however, The Queen's work goes on. It includes reading letters from the public, official papers and briefing notes; audiences with political ministers or ambassadors; and meetings with her Private Secretaries to discuss her future diary plans. No two days are ever the same and The Queen must remain prepared throughout.The present Sovereign's full style and title is: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. The title Head of the Commonwealth is held by the Queen personally, and is not vested in the British Crown.

2.3 THE QUEEN'S CEREMONIAL DUTIES

The colourful ceremonies and traditions associated with the British Monarchy are rich in history and meaning and fascinating to watch. In some, The Queen takes part in person. In others - such as Guard Mounting or Swan Upping - the ceremony is performed in The Queen's name. Many of the ceremonies take place on a regular basis - every year or even every day - which means that British people and visitors to London and other parts of the United Kingdom may have an opportunity to see some of these interesting events take place.The Queen has many ceremonial roles. Some - such as the State Opening of Parliament, Audiences with new ambassadors and the presentation of decorations at Investitures - relate to The Queen's role as Head of State.[8,p.16]

Others - such as the presentation of Maundy money and the hosting of garden parties - are historical ceremonies in which kings and queens have taken part for decades or even centuries.In addition to the events in which The Queen takes part, there are many other ceremonies and traditions associated with the British Monarchy. Some of these have military associations, involving troops from the present Armed Forces as well as the members of the historical royal bodyguard, the Yeomen of the Guard. Others are traditions which are less well known than the colourful pageantry but are interesting in their own right. Some - such as the customary broadcasts by the Sovereign on Christmas Day and Commonwealth Day - are fairly recent in origin, but have rapidly become familiar and popular traditions.

SUMMARY

Having analyzed the given topic we give you the following conclusions:

1. The history of the development of the Monarchy is long and varied.

2. Monarchy has existed since the earliest history of humankind and was often established during periods of external threat or internal crisis because it provided a more efficient focus of power than aristocracy or democracy, which tended to diffuse power.

3. During Anglo-Saxons period the reigns of the monarch were marred by civil strife and conflicts between the monarch and the nobility. And the monarch had not so strong power.

4. In the Normans period the centralization of the monarch's power began.

5. The 16th and 17th cent. mark the height of absolute monarchy, which found its theoretical justification in the doctrine of divine right. However, even the powerful monarchs of the 17th cent. were somewhat limited by custom and constitution as well as by the delegation of powers to strong bureaucracies

6. The Glorious Revolution in England (1688) was important landmarks in the decline and limitation of monarchical power. Throughout the 19th cent. Royal power was increasingly reduced by constitutional provisions and parliamentary incursions.

7. As we see the role of the Monarchy in the state has changed during the long period of the history. Today his or her power is limited.

LIST OF LITERATURE USED

1. Thorpe, Lewis, trans., Geoffrey of Monmouth: The History of the Kings of Britain, Penguin Books. London, 1966, 13-17p.;

2. G. R. Elton, Modern Historians on British History, 1485-1945, London, 1987, 42p.;

3. P. Catterall, British History,1945-1987,London, 1976, 20-65p.;

4. C. Read, Bibliography of British History: Tudor Period, 1485-1603 (2d ed. 1959, repr. 1978),London, 1990, 45-78p.;

5. C. L. Mowat, Great Britain since 1914 (1971),Oxford, 1999, 18-77p.;

6. G. Davies, Bibliography of British History: Stuart Period, 1603-1714 (1928; 2d ed., ed. by M. F. Keeler, 1970),London, 1989, 45-70p.;

7. Sir George Clark, ed., The Oxford History of England (2d ed., 16 vol., 1937-91), Oxford, 1980, 12-17p;

8. G. S. Graham, A Concise History of the British Empire (1971),London, 1990, 12-16p.;

9. F. E. Halliday, A Concise History of England (1980), London, 1997, 2-16p.;

10. F. M. L. Thompson, ed., The Cambridge Social History of Britain, 1750-1950, London, 1990, 3-56p.;

11. V.L.Polupan, A.P.Polupan, English- Speaking countries, Kharkiv, 2000, 26-33p.;

12. Royal family souvenir. Pitkin pride of Britain books and colour souvenirs, London, 1974, 9-21p.

13. Encyclopedia Britanica, London, 1996, 16-34p.

14. A Critical Bibliography, 1945-1969, Oxford, 1971, 89-134p.

15. English language and literature. № 3(49), Kiev; Osnova, 2004, 17-19p.