The Orders have the features of a written constitution and are considered by some authors to be the first written Constitution in the Western tradition. Thus, Connecticut earned its nickname of "The Constitution State". The document is notable as it assign supreme authority in the colony to the elected general court, omitting any reference to the authority of British Crown or other external authority. In the 1662, the colony petitioned the king for a royal charter, which substantially secured the colony's right to self govern following the same form of government established by the Fundamental Orders.