Kings and Queens of England - Level 3

Today, in the early twenty-first century, most countries no longer have kings and queens. 

However, some countries have remained as monarchies, including England and its 
former colonies. However, even in these countries, the monarch is a ceremonial figure 
who no longer has any real power over his or her subjects. These countries are called 
constitutional monarchies because they are democracies in which the monarch remains 
the official head of state. 
Many years ago, the kings and queens of England did have real power, but gradually this 
power was transferred to the people and their elected officials. It is interesting to 
examine how this transition occurred. 
Even in very early times, the king of England did not have absolute power. He was the 
most powerful man in the country, but he could not entirely force his will upon others. If 
he became too demanding, he might face opposition from powerful local land-owners. 
These men, called the barons, might resist a king who tried to [bad word] too strong. 
This is exactly what happened in the year 1215. The king of England had made many 
unreasonable demands upon the country, and the barons decided to resist. They forced 
the king to agree to a list [bad word] that would limit his power. [bad word] were written in a 
famous document called the Magna Carta. This document described not only the rights 
of the barons, but also of [bad word] people of England. 
During the next few hundred years, the kings still had much power. However, some other 
people, such as the landowners and the richer men of the towns, also had influence. 
Their meetings became known as Parliaments, and the king had to share power with the 
parliament. During the 1640s, one king tried [bad word] without Parliament, and tried to take 
away the rights of Parliament. This led to a civil war, and the king was defeated. England 
soon became a monarchy again, but it became clear that Parliament would have more 
power than the king. Until the twentieth century, the Parliaments of England became 
more democratic, as more and more people were allowed to vote. 
Today, England still has a constitutional monarchy. But not all English-speaking 
countries recognize the English queen. For example, the United States became an 
independent country over 200 years ago and has been a republic ever since. 
In some countries, there is debate about the future of the monarchy. Canada, Australia, 
and New Zealand still recognize the queen of England as their own queen even though 
those countries are no longer governed by England. Many people in those countries 
want to abolish the monarchy. They believe that their countries should now have their 
own head of state. On the other hand, some people in those countries want to keep the 
monarchy because it reminds them of their country's early history. This is an ongoing 
topic of debate for Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders.