--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Almost everywhere else in Europe, the…" description: "\"Almost everywhere else in Europe, the more military the state, the stronger the king - except in Britain. Here it was parliament, not the monarchy, who..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/simon-schama-4492_bigger_almost-everywhere-else-in-europe-the-mor_1236572.png" --- # Almost everywhere else in Europe, the more military the… ![“Almost everywhere else in Europe, the more military the state, the stronger the king - except in Britain. Here it was parliament, not the monarchy, who signed the cheques. The longer the war went on, the stronger parliament became, as the purse on which it sat grew bigger and bigger.” quote by Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/simon-schama-4492_bigger_almost-everywhere-else-in-europe-the-mor_1236572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/simon-schama-4492_bigger_almost-everywhere-else-in-europe-the-mor_1236572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d77/simon-schama-4492_bigger_almost-everywhere-else-in-europe-the-mor_1236572.png) > “Almost everywhere else in Europe, the more military the state, the stronger the king - except in Britain. Here it was parliament, not the monarchy, who signed the cheques. The longer the war went on, the stronger parliament became, as the purse on which it sat grew bigger and bigger.” [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In Britain, fiscal power shifted from monarch to parliament, making the legislature stronger as war expenses grew. **In simple terms:** War costs gave parliament more power than the king. Key Takeaway Recognize how financial control can shift political authority. Themes politics finance power dynamics war parliamentary authority Mood analytical historical reflective Type historical political educational When to use this quote - budget negotiations - war funding - legislative reforms - tax policy - government accountability Key Concepts statecraft fiscal sovereignty institutional change Questions to Reflect On - How does control of money shape political power? - What modern institutions mirror this shift? A Different Perspective If war ends, parliamentary power may recede without continued fiscal pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [British history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british-history/) [Cheques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheques/) [Cheques Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheques-longer-3844670/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Monarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monarchy/) [Monarchy Signed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monarchy-signed-3844669/) [Parliament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliament/) [Parliament Monarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliament-monarchy-3844667/) [Purses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purses/) [Sat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sat/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Stronger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stronger/) [Stronger King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stronger-king-3844668/) [Stronger Parliament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stronger-parliament-2204811/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“We saw in the previous chapter how the process of political centralization under the Tudor monarchy in England increased demands for voice and representation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/we-saw-in-the-previous-chapter-how-the-process-of-political/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [Well, it seems a bit silly, looking there,” said Will. “It’s not like Mortmain’s going to lodge a complaint against the Shadow-hunters through official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/well-it-seems-a-bit-silly-looking-there-said-will-it-s-not-like/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. 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