Petition of Right

The Petition of Right is a document produced by the English (pre-British) Parliament in the run up to the English Civil War. It was addressed to Charles I of England in 1628 in an attempt to seek redress on the following points:

Forced loans
Arbitrary arrest
Imprisonment contrary to the Magna Carta
Arbitrary interference with property rights
Unenforcement of habeas corpus
Forced billetting of troops
Imposition of martial law
Exemption of officials from due process

The petition had the support of Sir Edward Coke; John Pym claimed that the rights herein demanded predated even the Norman conquest and were confirmed by successive kings. The King was under great financial pressure, and agreed in June to look into the "abuses", but maintained his prerogative rights.

See also