 During the 16th century , this " turbulence " began to <unk> , and the monarch became truly independent . Under Henry VIII and his successors , the king was the head of the Protestant English church , and therefore not <unk> to the clergy . The rise of Parliament in this period , however , was problematic . While the monarch was " the predominant partner in the English constitution " , the courts stopped short of declaring him all @-@ powerful , recognizing the role that Parliament played . In <unk> 's Case , Henry recognised this , noting that he was far more powerful with the consent of Parliament than without . Nowhere was this more apparent than in the matter of taxation : Sir Thomas Smith and other writers of the period pointed out the monarch could not impose taxation without Parliament 's consent . 
