Restoring Constitutionality Through Conflict

Four Hundred Year Great Cycle Wars Over the Balance of Power Between People, Princes, and Parliament

The United States of America out of the British Empire, as with Byzantium out of Rome, is now the locus of the English Civilization. Caught up in trends and cycles which cover more than a thousand years of unbroken history. Throughout this common history, the English-speaking peoples have grappled with a fundamental question: how should power be distributed among the rulers (government), the elite (wealthy), and the common people (governed)?

This struggle, I refer to as the the "Great Cycle" has manifested in various forms, from legal reforms to outright civil wars and revolutions. These are no random occurrences. They seem to be endemic to our people, our cultures and how they have melded together across the last 1,200 years. A pattern emerges when we examine these conflicts: roughly every 400 years, a major crisis erupts, forcing a recalibration of the balance between the People (the masses), the Princes (the elite or oligarchs), and Parliament (the government or legislative body).

This 400-year cycle, while not a precise chronological rule, serves as a useful framework for understanding the evolution of power dynamics within and across the English Civilization. From Alfred the Great's codification of laws as the basis for English Common Law and Civilization, to the Magna Carta as the basis for restrained government, to the English Civil War and the English Bill of Rights, and now the the fight to determine whether the United States remains a Constitutional Republic.

Each era has witnessed a significant shift in how power is shared and checked. With the following, we will explore each of these pivotal moments, tracing the continuity of this struggle and highlighting how the roles of the People, Princes, and Parliament have evolved over time. By understanding our history we can better navigate the challenges of the present and ensure that the principles of individual sovereignty, accountability, and representation, the core values of our civilization as codified by our king 1,200 years ago, continue to guide us.

Alfred the Great: The Foundation of Balance

Alfred the Great, who ruled the kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899 AD, following on the thoughts and vision of his father and grandfather, laid the groundwork for English Common Law, establishing the initial balance of power among the ruler (government), the nobility (elites), and the people. The bedrock upon which the English-speaking people would emerge, as a collection of competing ethnic groups, to shape the English Civilization. His reign came at a time when the British Isles were fragmented and under constant threat from Viking invasions. Through a combination of military strategy, legal reform, educational initiatives and civilization building, Alfred not only defended his kingdom but also set in motion principles that would go on and shape our world for more than a thousand years.

One of Alfred's most significant contributions was the Dooms of Alfred, a legal code that synthesized Anglo-Saxon traditions, the Danelaw, Christian ethics, and elements of Roman law. This code emphasized the king's duty to govern justly and established the idea that even the ruler was limited in power and subject to the law. For example, the Dooms included provisions for compensating victims of crimes, reflecting a concern for communal welfare and fairness. By codifying these laws, Alfred created a framework where the King (government) was accountable to legal standards, setting a precedent for future constraints on royal power.

Beyond his legal reforms, Alfred's organization of the burh system—fortified towns designed to protect against Viking raids—required collaboration between the king, local nobles (early forms of Princes), and the communities (People). This system fostered a shared governance model, distributing responsibilities and power across different levels of society. Additionally, Alfred's promotion of literacy and education, including translating key texts into Old English, empowered the People by making providing them with a common identity built upon legal and governance principles and shared power and responsibility.

In essence, Alfred's reign marked the beginning of a delicate balance: the King (government) governed within legal bounds, supported by the Nobles (Princes) and the Communities (People) who were sovereign and responsible under the law. His efforts laid the foundation for English Common Law and established principles of accountability that would be tested and refined in the centuries to come, out of which would deliberately emerge England and the English Civilization under his grandson Æthelstan.

Magna Carta: The First Major Recalibration

Approximately 400 years after Alfred's grandfather Ecgberht assumed the throne and began to explore the concepts would fuel Alfred's later codification efforts, the Magna Carta of 1215 emerged as a direct response to the overreach of royal authority and government under King John. By this time, the balance that Alfred had helped establish had eroded, with the king and his court (government) wielding near-absolute power. Heavy taxation, military failures, and arbitrary rule had alienated the barons—powerful nobles who represented an early form of Princes in the power dynamic.

The barons (Princes), frustrated by John's abuses, along with their communities (People) rebelled and forced the king to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede on June 15, 1215. This charter was groundbreaking in that it explicitly limited the government's power and granted specific rights to the Princes and through them their People. For instance, Clause 39 guaranteed due process, protecting freemen from arbitrary imprisonment, while Clause 61 allowed a committee of 25 barons to enforce the charter, effectively giving them oversight over royal actions.

Although the Magna Carta primarily protected the interests of the nobility, it also benefited the People by reestablishing the principle that neither the government (King and Court) nor the barons (Princes) were not above the law. This was a crucial step in the evolution of power balance, as it introduced the idea of legal constraints on the ruler and set a precedent for future expansions of rights. In this context, the barons acted as proto-Princes (oligarchs), challenging the proto-Parliament (King John and his court, magistrates, sheriffs, etc.) and asserting their role in governance in defense of themselves and of their People (communities).

The Magna Carta's significance extends far beyond its immediate impact. It became a symbol of liberty and the rule of law, on the balance of power, influencing later constitutional developments both in England and abroad. By curbing the power of the proto-Parliament (king and his government) and empowering the proto-Princes (barons) to secure self and People (communities), the Magna Carta marked the first major recalibration in the 400-year cycle, reinforcing the need for a system where power is checked and balanced.

English Civil War and English Bill of Rights: Parliament's Ascendancy

The next major shift in the balance of power occurred during the 17th century, roughly 427 years after the Magna Carta, with the English Civil War (1642–1651) and the inGlorious Revolution (1688). These events were driven by escalating tensions between the monarchy and Parliament, culminating in a redefinition of governance that favored Parliament and, to a far lesser extent, the People. All the conditions then, the Magna Carta under duress, eerily similar to those of today in the United States where the Constitution is under duress.

The English Civil War was ostensibly sparked by disputes over taxation, religious freedom, and the extent of royal authority. Though it was in truth a power grab by foreign bought and greedy Princes (oligarchs) and power hungry Parliamentarians in the form of a challenge on the legitimacy and power of the Executive (King and his Court). King Charles I, embodying the Executive, recognizing the fecklessness and traitorousness to Continental European bankers of some of the Princes and members of Parliament (legislature), sought to rule without parliamentary consent.

This led the Executive and loyal Princes and People into a bloody conflict with Dutch backed industrialists, guilds, bankers, Parliamentarians (legislatures), Puritan reformers and a handful of disloyal Princes. All of it stated as being on behalf of the People through elected representatives who had been bought and paid for by foreign powers and supported by disloyal Princes and Puritan reformers. None of which the courts were capable of keeping up with or checking. The war that followed over the balance of power resulted in HM King Charles I's execution in 1649 and the establishment of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, and a brief experiment in republican rule.

However, Cromwell's rule as Lord Protector (1653–1658) revealed the challenges of shared power, as he too was forced to govern with authoritarian tendencies in order to fight foreign financial influence. The monarchy was restored in 1660, but the underlying tensions remained unresolved. It was the inGlorious Revolution of 1688 that ultimately solidified the shift towards parliamentary supremacy. King James II's attempts to assert absolute authority, also in defiance of Dutch finance, led to his deposition. Ultimately, William of Orange was brought over by the disloyal Princes and power hungry Parliamentarians to assume Executive (monarch) power by force, under conditions and limitations set by Parliament.

The subsequent Bill of Rights (1689) was a landmark document that limited the Executive's powers, guaranteed parliamentary rights (such as the ability to approve taxes and hold regular sessions), and protected individual liberties, including free elections and protection from arbitrary arrest. This period saw a significant redistribution of power: the Executive (King) was reduced to a largely ceremonial role, while the Legislature (Parliament) became the dominant governing body. The Judiciary (Magistrates and Courts) would continue on as corrupt and ineffectual as they'd become over the centuries. The People, still greatly limited in their direct influence, would gain the illusion of representation through parliamentary elections. While the Princes, steadily over the coming two hundred years, saw their role and influence erode steadily, only to be virtually eradicated in the fields of France and Belgium in WWI.

The culmination of this second 400 year Great Cycle would see the establishment of a system heavily corrupted by Dutch intervention and funds, with a foreign Executive (King) being put on the throne to provide legitimacy for the foreign funded and controlled Legislature (Parliament) and disloyal Princes (oligarchs) which would ultimately rule. These events did put in place a new balance of power by institutionalizing checks and balances and embedding the principle that the executive must share authority with a legislative body. The inGlorious Revolution, in particular, marked a decisive victory for Parliament over the Princes, with the People gradually being fed the illusion of increasing influence as liberal democratic reform narratives evolved and expanded over time.

Current U.S. Constitutional Crisis: Today's Great Cycle Iteration

Fast-forward to the present day, and the English-speaking world—now centered in the United States—finds itself once again embroiled in a struggle over the balance of power. As of early 2025, 400 hundred years since Charles I assumed the throne and began to fight foreign corruption, the U.S. is grappling with what many recognize is a constitutional crisis, characterized by intense conflicts between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. But which in truth is an all-out struggle over the balance of power between People, Princes and Parliament. This modern tension is the latest iteration of the "Eternal War," reflecting the same fundamental core issues that have surfaced every few centuries.

On its face, in this iteration of the Great Cycle the Prince is represented by the President and the executive branch, whose actions—such as executive orders, challenges to judicial rulings, and assertions of broad authority—have sparked debates over the limits of presidential power. This while the executive seeks to reign in a runaway judiciary with more than forty years of gross overreach into both executive and legislative powers as enumerated in the Constitution. All the while, Parliament, embodied by Congress, struggles to assert its role as a check on either the judiciary, particularly in areas like corrupt, criminal and unconstitutional judges. Meanwhile, the People exert influence are trying hard through elections, public opinion, and civil society, to influence all three branches of governance to act in accordance with the Constitution, with their ability to shape outcomes heavily constrained by weak, ineffectual, dishonest and criminal legislators.

This current iteration of the Great Cycle, the United States finds itself embroiled in a Constitutional Crisis that transcends mere governmental dysfunction. This crisis is, in truth, an all-out war being waged as a cold war over the balance of power—not merely within the US government, but between three distinct forces: the US government (likened to Parliament as the formal seat of authority), the Princes (a modern oligarchy wielding vast wealth and influence), and the People (the broader citizenry). Just as was the fight that resulted in the Magna Carta. The government has become a rapacious parasite believes it no longer must adhere to any balance of power with the Princes, that it is the ultimate power in the land, with the Princes and their assets as the prize must be taken. Meanwhile, the People, increasingly divided and disenfranchised, fight to reclaim their voice in a system that favors artificial elites and Regime manufactured artificial Princes. This tripartite struggle reveals a deeper contest for control, threatening the very foundation of American democracy.

The current crisis echoes historical patterns: just as the invasions of the British Isles required Alfred the Great to forge a shared English identity led to Common Law, just as King John's overreach led to the Magna Carta and Charles I's fight for the People sparked the English Civil War, today's tensions arise from perceived and very real imbalances in power. The U.S. Constitution, itself built on Common Law, inspired by the later Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, established a system of checks and balances to prevent any one branch from dominating Parliament (government) and through this the governed. However, the effectiveness of these mechanisms is now being tested, with debates over executive privilege, judicial independence, and legislative authority at the forefront.

While the timeline from the anything but Glorious Revolution (1688) to 2025 is approximately 337 years—slightly less than the proposed 400-year cycle—the beginnings and culminations of each of these Great Cycles turns out to be roughly every 400 years. The struggle to balance power among the Prince, Parliament, and People remains as relevant today as it was in centuries past. As we're rapidly approaching the next culmination event of our Great Cycle.

Resilience Through Remembering Our Roots

As we navigate the current constitutional tensions in the United States, it is essential to recognize that this struggle is not new. It is part of a long tradition of power recalibrations that have shaped the English Civilization and English-speaking peoples for over a millennium. From Alfred the Great's legal reforms to the Magna Carta to the English Bill of Rights and to this very day, each era has been driven its own version of a flare up in the "Eternal War" and emerged with a refined and codified understanding of how power should be shared between People (individuals and communities), Princes (Nobility and oligarchy) and Parliament (king, court and government)

The road ahead will undoubtedly be challenging. Divisions, uncertainty, and difficult choices lie before us. Yet, history teaches us that English-speaking peoples have not only survived such crises but have thrived by adapting and strengthening our systems of governance. Alfred's laws evolved into the Magna Carta, which in turn influenced the Bill of Rights, become the Constitution of the United States, and now, in 2025, we stand at the threshold of another hard refinement of the constitutional principles unique to the people, communities and nations of the English Civilization.

Our resilience lies in remembering who we are and where we come from. We are a civilization built on the principles of individual sovereignty, accountability, and representation—principles hard-won through centuries of struggle. By holding fast to these values and learning from our history, we can navigate the current crisis and ensure that the balance of power continues to serve the People, hold the Princes accountable, and restrain the capacities of Parliament. As we face the rough years ahead, let us draw strength from our past and confidence from our ability to endure and evolve. We've been here before, every four hundred years. Out of each of these times before has come a greater awareness and formalization of who and what we are! This cycle will be no different! If we remember through it, who we are, how our ancestors got here, and why our ancestors fought themselves so very hard to ensure the English Civilization emerged, survived and thrived.