28-668: List of parliaments of England List of acts of the Parliament of England The Good Parliament is the name traditionally given to the English Parliament of 1376. Sitting in London from April 28 to July 10, it was the longest Parliament up until that time. It took place during a time when the English court was perceived by much of the English population to be corrupt, and its traditional name
56-564: A body known as Parliament, until the creation of the Parliament of Great Britain in 1707. For later parliaments, see the List of parliaments of Great Britain . For the history of the English Parliament, see Parliament of England . The parliaments of England were traditionally referred to by the number counting forward from the start of the reign of a particular monarch, unless the parliament
84-506: A collection of statutes from the second half of the fourteenth century. The list of parliaments in this article commences with a meeting in London in 1242, which was summoned in 1241. This again may not have represented any real innovation, but rather is given prominence by the chance survival of records. Powell and Wallis confirm that a copy of the writ of summons has survived, possibly the earliest still in existence. Dramatic political events at
112-593: A different location is known, it is indicated in a note. Unusual features of the dates of summons, attendance or dissolution of a parliament are included in a note. King Henry III reigned between 18/19 October 1216 and 16 November 1272. Notes:- King Edward I reigned between 20 November 1272 – 7 July 1307. Notes:- King Edward II reigned between 7 July 1307 – 20 January 1327. Notes:- King Edward III reigned between 25 January 1327 – 21 June 1377. Notes:- Note:- Note:- Note:- Note:- Note:- The Long Parliament , which commenced in this reign, had
140-555: A letter in the -Plt column (in the case of these phases they all share the same -Plt number, which is used in the first table of this section, so the column is available to set out the letter for the phases moving forward from 1640) and are explained in a note. Note:- Note:- Note:- These parliaments included representatives of Scotland and Ireland. Note:- Note:- Preliminary note: The English civil year started on 25 March until 1752 (Scotland having changed to 1 January in 1600). The years used in this article have been converted to
168-520: Is difficult to define precisely. The term parliamentum was used in the general sense of a meeting at which negotiations took place. The word began to be used to refer to meetings of the council in the 1230s and 1240s. The earliest known official use was by the Court of King's Bench which in November 1236 adjourned a case to be heard at a parliamentum at Westminster due on the following 13 January. A meeting of
196-543: Is not the conventional way of numbering parliaments. The "Duration" column is calculated from the date of the first meeting of the parliament to that of dissolution, using a year-month-day format. Parliament grew out of the Curia Regis , which was a body which advised the king on legislative matters. It had come into existence after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It replaced the earlier Anglo-Saxon institution of
224-471: The 1st Parliament of Great Britain . Duration of English parliaments before 1660 This article augments the List of parliaments of England to be found elsewhere (see link below) and to precede Duration of English, British and United Kingdom parliaments from 1660 , with additional information which could not be conveniently incorporated in them. The definition of which bodies should be classified as parliaments becomes increasingly problematic before
252-571: The Bad Parliament . John had the Good Parliament declared unconstitutional and its acts removed from the books. Despite this, the public treasured the memory of the reforming parliament, and bestowed upon it the name of the Good Parliament. List of parliaments of England This is a list of parliaments of England from the reign of King Henry III , when the Curia Regis developed into
280-500: The Oxford Parliament , which was the seventh parliament of King Henry III , assembled 27 October 1258 and presumed dissolved when writs de expensis were issued on 4 November 1258, and for the same king's sixteenth parliament, summoned on 4 June 1264 and assembled on 22 June 1264, although the date of dissolution is unknown. Montfort's Parliament of 1265 was the first parliament of England to include representatives chosen by
308-622: The Salic law , which was the basis for the French case against Edward III's claim to the Crown of France , suggesting that the English follow the French custom, but was unable to sway the assembly to his point of view. Meanwhile, the eldest prince of the realm, Edward the Black Prince , was dying. Having taken a house in London, he summoned both Edward III and John of Gaunt and made them swear to recognise his son,
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#1732844704574336-504: The Witenagemot , which had a similar mix of important clerical and lay members, but different powers. The Curia Regis (known in English as the council or court) was composed of prominent church leaders ( archbishops , bishops and some abbots ) and the king's feudal tenants-in-chief (in effect the landowning aristocracy, the earls and barons ). The point at which some meetings of the prelates and lay magnates became known as parliaments
364-488: The King's death, it was a Parliament he originally summoned. An attempt has been made to set out the different phases of the Parliament in the second table in this section and in subsequent sections. The phases are explained in a note. These parliaments included representatives of Scotland and Ireland. On 29 April 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain was constituted. The members of the 2nd Parliament of Queen Anne became part of
392-527: The accession of the Tudor monarchs, starting with King Henry VII. Different sources may vary in the number of Parliaments in a particular reign. The "No." columns in the tables below contain the number counting forward from the accession of particular monarchs of England before 1660 (or the Commonwealth and Protectorate regimes of the 1650s). The "-Plt" columns count backwards from the parliament elected in 2005. This
420-457: The corruption at court, and calling for close scrutiny of the royal accounts. Richard Lyons (Warden of the Mint) and Lord Latimer , who were believed to be robbing the treasury, were called before Parliament and then imprisoned. Latimer's impeachment is the earliest recorded in Parliament. The king's mistress, Alice Perrers , was called and condemned to seclusion. John of Gaunt raised the question of
448-410: The council was held at Merton Abbey in 1236. This gathering became known as the Parliament of Merton . It passed certain legislation, which constitutes the first entry in the official collection of the statutes of England, published in the nineteenth century. It may be that the meeting at Merton involved no innovation, but owes its prominence to the chance survival of some records which were copied into
476-605: The counties (or shires), the cities, and the boroughs, groups who eventually became the House of Commons , although to begin with Lords and Commons met all together, In 1320 it became the invariable practice to summon the Commons to Parliament. If the Commons were not summoned to an early parliament, this is indicated in a footnote. The normal place for parliaments to meet was in Westminster . If
504-508: The day which followed 2 September was 14 September. This was done to bring Britain and its empire fully into line with the Gregorian calendar . There were some meetings before 1241 which are sometimes called parliaments, notably the Parliament of Merton in 1236. Early parliaments did not, so far as is known, include representatives of the communities (or commons) of England. They were composed of important church officials and landowners, whom
532-552: The future Richard II , as successor to Edward. Both John and the King swore to recognise Richard, and soon after Parliament summoned Richard and acknowledged him as heir to the throne. The members were swayed by the immense prestige of Prince Edward, the country's greatest military hero at the time. Parliament then imposed a new set of councillors on the king: Edmund Mortimer , the Earl of March; William Courtenay , Bishop of London; and William of Wykeham , Bishop of Winchester. Parliament
560-478: The king summoned individually to advise him, similar to the group of men which eventually became known as the House of Lords . The sheriffs of the English counties were ordered to send knights of the shire to attend a number of parliaments before 1265, but they were not required to have them chosen by election. No such summonses are known to have required the attendance of citizens of cities or burgesses of other boroughs. Records of this sort of summons survive for
588-449: The longest term and the most complex history of any English Parliament. The entry in the first table below relates to the whole Parliament. Although it rebelled against King Charles I and continued to exist long after the King's death, it was a Parliament he originally summoned. An attempt has been made to set out the different phases of the Parliament in the second table in this section and in subsequent sections. The phases are indicated by
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#1732844704574616-507: The meeting were recorded by the chronicler Matthew Paris , so it is known that the king asked for a tax, which the council (retrospectively dubbed a parliament ) refused to grant. It is unlikely that the gathering was seen by contemporaries as any different from the similar meetings of the Curia Regis that had been held since the Conquest, but as a list of parliaments must start at some time this
644-414: The need for funds was so pressing in 1376 that another parliament was necessary. Once the members were assembled, they were determined to clean up the corrupt Royal Council . Peter de la Mare , a knight of the shire representing Herefordshire , had been elected as Speaker by the House of Commons , and on the first day he delivered an address criticising England's recent military failures, condemning
672-510: The new style where necessary. Old style dates would be a year earlier than the new style for days between 1 January and 24 March. No attempt has been made to compensate for the eleven days which did not occur in September 1752 in both England and Scotland, when the day after 2 September was 14 September), so as to bring the dating in Great Britain and its associated territories fully into line with
700-456: Was dissolved in July. The following autumn, John of Gaunt attempted to undo its work. He barred the admission of the new councillors assigned to the king. He threw Peter de la Mare into prison at Nottingham . He dismissed the new council and recalled Latimer. Alice of Perrers was restored to the company of the king. John also attacked William of Wykeham. In 1377, John had another parliament convene,
728-447: Was due to the sincere efforts by its members to reform the government. It had a formidable enemy, however, in John of Gaunt , fourth son of Edward III and the effective ruler of England at the time. Parliament had not met since November 1373, 2½ years previously, because Edward III and his councilors recognised the danger of calling a parliament during a period of dissatisfaction. However,
756-461: Was notable enough to come to be known by a particular title, such as the Good Parliament or the Parliament of Merton . The Long Parliament , which commenced in this reign, had the longest term and the most complex history of any English Parliament. The entry in the first table below relates to the whole Parliament. Although it rebelled against King Charles I and continued to exist long after
784-542: Was the meeting chosen by the source from which this list is drawn. The English civil year started on 25 March until 1752. The years used in this article have been converted to the new style where necessary. Old style dates are a year earlier than the new style for dates between 1 January and 24 March. No attempt has been made to compensate for the eleven days which did not occur in September 1752, both in England and Scotland, as well as in other British controlled territories, when
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