Following the 'Glorious' Revolution of 1688, Kings and Queens had agreed to share power with Parliament. However, Parliament was controlled by the rich - Britain was not at all democratic:

Only rich men could vote (fewer than 10% of all adult men)
The number of MPs (elected representatives who sat in Parliament) for each area was based on the population in Tudor times. This meant that the new northern towns that grew up in the Industrial Revolution (e.g. Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield) didn't have any representation.
Some constituencies (areas that elected an MP) were so small that there were only a handful of voters, e.g. Old Sarum.
Voting was open, not secret, so voters could be bribed or intimidated.
MPs were unpaid so only rich people could afford to do the job.

Year 8 Power & Protest

What was wrong with Parliament in 1800?