Nobles forced King John to sign this "Great Charter" that created the English "Parliament", or law-making body, and stated that the written laws held a higher power than the king, thereby limiting the power of the Royal family and giving some of that power to the people. Later, the Petition of Right (1628) set that the King could no longer tax without parliament's permission and the Bill of Rights (1689) provided freedom of speech and banned cruel or unusual punishment. These strengthened Parliament further and gave the people more right to express themselves. ...

• Word Count: 3560
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The use of mercenaries has been historically a constant phenomenon till almost the end of the XX century, when their activities were criminalized by the international community. Parallel to that phenomenon European States, during their colonial expansion over all continents, authorized two other forms of similar violence by non state actors: the corsairs and the colonial merchant companies, such as the East India Company or the Hudson Bay Company. At the threshold of the XXI century we are witnessing a similar phenomenon. Although mercenaries have not completely disappeared "private milit...

• Word Count: 9871
• Approx Pages: 39
• Grade Level: Graduate