Merton street

Oxford’s cobbled streets reveal heritage treasures at every turn. Earlier you passed the magnificent Oriol College, founded in 1324 by King Edward II of England, making it the city’s first college with a royal foundation. You may also have seen the entrance to the Corpus Christi College, founded by a bishop with the aim of training monks, but eventually, in a movement corresponding to the Renaissance and new ideas, it was transformed into a secular place for teaching human sciences. And now you can see the beautiful entrance to Merton College. This is one of Oxford University’s oldest colleges, founded in 1224 by the Bishop of Rochester. In the 17th century, during the First English Revolution, it was the only college to side with Parliament rather than the Royalists. We may not know much about English history, but they beheaded their king long before the French did! In fact, the king’s power in England has been regulated by Parliament since the Middle Age!. Yet Charles I wanted to rule alone, and did as he pleased, eventually losing his throne. This revolution, also known as the Great Rebellion, resulted in the beheading of Charles I, the abolition of the monarchy and the creation of a kind of Republic, the Commonwealth of England, which strengthened the power of Parliament. A man named Cromwell became head of the new government, but when he died his son abdicated. The son of Charles Iwas then called upon to govern, albeit in a highly regulated manner, with Parliament taking all the decisions. This marked the birth of the United Kingdom’s parliamentary monarchy, and the arrival on the scene of Charles II. You’d be right to guess that there hasn’t been another Charles in power ever since, as the new King of England,, has just been crowned, Charles III, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.