The Crown and the Parliament in 17th Century England: The Royal Prerogative or the Parliamentary Sovereignty?
In this paper, we analyze the problems of the relationships between the Crown and the Parliament under the first Stuarts. We examine thoroughly the history of the formation of parliamentary opposition in England in the early 17th century as well as the views of the leading figures of the Parliament and the representatives of the royalist camp. Particular attention is paid to the doctrine of the royal prerogative and to the positions of James I and Charles I and their followers. We also reveal the reactionary nature of the first Stuarts’ policy that led to the English Civil War.