The Delegitimization Spiral

How Governments Lose Legitimacy—and What Replaces Them

Anthony van Dyk, Charles I with M. de Saint Antoine (1633)

In the early 17^th century, the Parliament of England was summoned at the monarch’s request. When he saw fit, the King could dissolve the Parliament. But the gentry who made up Parliament controlled taxation, as the Crown depended on their consent to raise significant revenue. While there was ofte…