Your crucial advance began with the Magna Carta. The history of England is basically the story of how the Government of England became increasingly limited by

Your crucial advance began with the Magna Carta. The history of England is basically the story of how the Government of England became increasingly limited by the laws of England. (At least that was a central theme of David Hume's wildly popular 18th century "History of England".) And yeah, many people in England gave their lives fighting to progress that goal around the same time that the Americans declared independence.