The Rise of the British Empire.

 Before delving into the story of the rise of the British Empire. Let's shed some light on the history of monarchy system of the British Empire. The monarchy system laid its roots in Britain's land with the inception of the last stages of the  early Middle Ages when different tribes and kingdoms were annexed. With the time different dynasties ruled over Britain and all of them are given below:

1. House of Wessex(9th to 11 centuries).
2. House of Normandy( 11th century).
3. House of Plantagenet(12th to 15 centuries).
4. House of Lancaster and House of York(15th century).
5. House of Tudor(15th to 17 centuries).
6. House of Stuart(17th century).
7. House of Hanover(18th to 20 centuries).
8. House of Windsor(2oth century to present).

The House of Wessex played an imperative role in the unification of different tribes and kingdoms of England, when King Ethelstan, the grandson of Alfred the great, united different tribes and kingdoms of England to make a single, united English kingdom. King Ethelstan is deemed the first king of England.

History of Parliamentary system of England:

A Parliamentary system was not established at the blink of an eye, but it went through several phases. Let's explain few of them:

1. Magna Carta: Magna Carta was signed on June 15, 1215 during the reign of King John of England.The Magna Carta diminished the power of the monarch and promoted the idea of government.
2. Model Parliament(1295): During the reign of Edward 1, a model parliament was constituted which consisted of nobles and commoners( Common people).
3. English civil war(1642-1660): It was a conflict between monarch and parliament. During this conflict, the cessation of the monarchy system and establishment of the Commonwealth are the most important to consider. But monarchy system was reinstated at the end of the civil war.
4. Parliamentry reform movements: During the 19th century different reforms were introduced such as Reform Acts etc which strenghtend the parliamentary system.
5. Constitutional Monarchy: By the 19th and 20th centuries, Parliament became the primary legaslative authority, and the monarchy system was in name only.
   

So, this was the parliamentary history of the British empire's which clearly delineates how the British Empire covered its journey of transformation from monarchy system into a partly parliamnetary system.

1. The Rise of the British Empire: After the decadence of the Dutch Empire around 1700s, the British Empire had no trade rival, but Napoleon breakthroughs projected him as an hindrance in their way. The story of the rise of the British empire began around 1600 with the fall of the Dutch Empire. The Thirty years' war created the new world order, and countries as we know them today. Great Britain was also mired in conflicts over wealth and power, which led country to the English Civil war and the Glorious Revolution. Theses revolutions and civil wars weakened the monarchy and consolidated the parliamentary system.These conflicts set up the rule of law and balance of power between the king and the parliament which later set the stage for Britain's rise. William Pitt and his son, William Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli were some of the men who crafted the future of the British empire.

The Consolidation of the Parliament was imbued with the new ideas of the Age of Enlightenment which delineated distribution of power and the way of running a government. This brought improvements in the education sytem which increased literacy rate, during that period, the first encyclopedia along with dictionaries was printed. Major discoveries also helped Britain a lot because when strong education is used to bring about innovation, it effectively enhance human productivity. These didn't bring about instant success, with time, transition began to occur. Two most important things that brought about the rise of the British Empire were: a strong rule of law and numerous inventions. At its peak, the British empire was controlling 20 percent of land and over 40 percent of the world's exports. Therefore, a strong education along with the inventions paved the way for the rise of the British empire.

Industrial Revolution(1760-1830): The Industrial Revolution was a step that drove the British Empire to the pinnacle of glory.  

England's iron and coal reserves served as a catalyst for England's economy which was
witnessed in the form of the Industrial Revolution. Industrial revolution shifted the trend from the hand- crafted economy to the industrialized economy. It ended feudalism where labor worked in exchange for protection and a small part of production. The Industrial Revolution was not only bolstered by the invention of the steam engine but also by the transition of the means of production into factories. The productivity revolution commenced with the Agriculture revolution. Agricultural inventions increased productivity and curtailed the labor force. With the establishment of factories, people started migrating to the cities to get work. Therefore, the Industrial Revolution also promoted urbanization. It also introduced a capitalist-based economy and a wage system for the labor class. Most of the inventions that were achieved during the Industrial Revolution are:

1. 1712: Steam engine invented.
2. 1719: Silk factory invented.
3. 1733: Flying shuttle invented.
4. 1825; Railway construction initiated.

Power was possessed by the central government and the capitalists who controlled the means of production.

With the industrial revolution, Europe became self-dependent and curbed the imports from China and continued to import tea. China had no interest in European commodities and sought payment in precious metals. This sowed the seeds of the great British-Chinese conflict which triggered the Opium War.

The British Empire made its army strong enough, especially its Navy and set off to different parts of the World and established colonies. These expeditions also helped the British Empire in procuring wealth which bolstered their economy.

Napoleon's Breakthroughs:

When wealth and value gaps go deep in a country, the country starts seeing revolutions and civil wars. In France, when wealth and value gaps augmented, people started demonstrations which later took the shape of the French Revolution. After the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte assumed power and set to conquests. Napoleon was achieving success one after another, and he also stabilized deftly the languishing economy of France.Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany were under his subjugation. During his reign, Europe assumed France as an emerging superpower and rival to the British Empire. 

Napoleon's war is another topic to discuss at some other time. When Napoleon led an incursion against Russia to expand his empire, he was defeated. Russia and Great Britain were the winners.

The defeat of Napoleon cleared the way for the British Empire to become a superpower. 

The Congress of Vienna:

After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the winners and the losers came to the table to talk about crafting a new world order. The only purport of the Congress of Vienna(1814-15) was to create a system of checks and balances among the European powers and considering of the factors which triggered the war in Europe. As a result of the Pact, nationalist movements sprang up which led to the unification of Germany, as well as it also destabilized the Ottoman Empire. One of its aims was the reinstatement of the Boubon dynasty in France.
The Congress of Vienna created a long period of peace and prosperity, as well as, it also eliminated the rival of the British Empire. The British Empire took greater advantage of the period of peace than any other country had ever taken.

In the end , we can say that the Industrial revolution and checkmating Napoleon in the war paved the way for the rise of the British empire. 

The Congress of Vienna(1814-15) was also a contributing factor in the rise of the British Empire. Education, the rule of law, good governance etc. are different factors that led to the rise of the British Empire.