ABSTRACT
Initially, internal sovereignty-that is, the power to rule over a country-was largely untrammelled, and exercised by absolute monarchs. However, later it came to be limited by constitutionalism. For example, in the 17th century, England went through a long struggle between King and Parliament, culminating in the establishment of a constitutional monarchy as a result of the Glorious Revolution28 of 1688. This led to the concept of parliamentary sovereignty, whereby internal sovereignty of England and Wales29 was henceforth exercised by Parliament, although the Monarch’s assent to legislation was still required to transform a Bill passed by both houses of Parliament into law. However, these changes did not limit the internal sovereignty of England, and later Great Britain30 and the United Kingdom;31 they merely redefined which persons and bodies were to exercise it. This was to remain the case until British sovereignty was limited by the European Communities Act 1972, which paved the way for accession to the European Community, and finally to the European Union.
