Category Politics & Parliaments

 Henry Bolingbroke, son of John Gaunt, became Henry IV, King of England after deposing, Richard II. Parliament played an important role in making him the king, and so, Henry IV was willing to agree to its many demands. One of these demands was that the members of parliament be given the freedom to discuss, and speak on any matter without fear of arrest. In effect, the House of Commons was asking for freedom of speech, and Henry agreed to this request. So, the reign of Henry IV saw the foundation laid for one of the most scared privileges of democracy today- freedom of speech. 

Following the death of his grandfather, Edward Ill in June, 1377, Richard II was crowned King of England at the age of ten. At that time, his uncle John Gaunt was involved in a tussle for power with parliament. As he grew older, Richard, like his uncle and grandfather before him, wanted to rule without being controlled by the parliament. This angered the members of the House of Commons. To make matters worse, Richard granted favours generously to his friends and supporters. The House of Commons disapproved of this, and in 1386, it wanted to impeach both the Chancellor and Treasurer.

 Richard at first arrogantly refused to allow the impeachment- in fact he is reported to have said that he would not dismiss even a single kitchen hand at parliament’s request! However, he finally had to give in, and allow the impeachment. Two years later, parliament executed six of the king’s friends and supporters, and for the next ten years, the king was forced to co-operate with parliament. It was a bitter and humiliating lesson for the monarch, and this period saw parliament grow even stronger than before. 

 Sir Peter de Ia Mare was an English politician who is best remembered as the Presiding Officer of the House of Commons during the Good Parliament of 1376. Soon after parliament was called, its members chose Sir Peter to be their spokesman. He thus became the first man to be recognized as Speaker of the House of Commons.

 Sir Peter played an important role in the impeachment of various corrupt officials, including the close friends of the king. However, he was later imprisoned by John Gaunt, the third son of the king, to whom the king had handed over the reins of government. The impeachments were also reversed by the next parliament, which was packed with Gaunt’s supporters.

Edward II succeeded to the throne upon his father’s death in 1307. His reign was one of constant struggle with the barons. In this struggle, Edward was defeated, and thrown into prison. The question now became what to do with him. The simplest solution was to have Edward put to death. The problem was that the execution of Edward II would necessitate a trial. While there was general agreement that Edward had not paid proper attention to the needs of his subjects, his actions were not considered treas on. The situation was further complicated by the fact that legal power and the ability to set royal policy still rested with Edward even though he was in jail!

In light of these circumstances, parliament chose to act as an authority above the king. Representatives were summoned to the House of Commons, and the debate began.

Eventually, parliament agreed to remove Edward from power. However, Edward was not deposed. Rather, parliament’s decision was presented to Edward, who was asked to accept it. His abdication was announced on January 24, 1327, and it heralded the increasing power and importance of parliament in governing England. 

Edward Ill came to the throne in 1327, and from that point, the representatives of the counties who were called the knights of the shire and of the towns who were the burgesses, became a permanent part of parliament.

When parliament opened, the Chancellor would explain to all the members why they had been summoned. The parliament would then split up. The Lords and important church officials would meet with the king and his council in the council chamber, while the lower clergy, knights, and elected representatives of towns and counties or burgesses would meet in another place. Both groups would discuss the royal requests separately, and then meet again to make their speeches.

Thus, two distinct houses of parliament emerged by the 14th century. One was composed of the elected representatives of the towns and counties. This became known as the Lower House, or House of Commons. The other was composed of religious leaders and nobility. This was the House of Lords, or Upper House. There is no doubt that the early parliaments were dominated by the king and his council, and the role of the House Commons was limited to presenting petitions.

Edward I, Henry III’s son, made the meeting of parliament a more frequent event and over the course of his reign of 35 years, he summoned it on 46 occasions. He was not a democrat, but he saw that parliament was necessary if he was to raise enough money to carry out his policies and to conduct his war with France.

In 1275, Edward I called his first parliament. He summoned nobles and churchmen, but also included the knights from different counties. In addition, he issued writs for two representatives from each city or town -known as the burgesses-to attend. They were called on primarily to listen to and approve the king’s plan for a new tax. Over the following years, it became an accepted rule that the representatives of those who were going to be most affected by taxation had to give their consent to it in parliament. However, the practice of summoning these representatives of the people did not become standard till 1295, when the Model Parliament was called.

During the thirteenth century, in England, the word ‘parliament’ often referred to the assemblies that were summoned by the king. These assemblies acted as a session of the nobility. However, when Simon de Montfort came to power, he needed the support of all the people. He summoned the Great Council more frequently. In 1265, in addition to the Lords, he also included burgesses from the towns. The burgesses were the representatives of the ordinary people.

The parliament of 1265, therefore, marks a great advance in the constitutional history of England. The old council of the king had been strictly an assembly of nobles. At its meetings, the ordinary people were not expected to be present. The parliament of 1265 marks the first time that ordinary people were represented at the assemblies. This gathering set a precedent for the future, and in this sense, perhaps, Simon may be called the ‘creator of the House of Commons’.

Simon de Montfort was a Frenchman who married King Henry III’s sister. He owned land in England, and became the Earl of Leicester. Simon considered Henry unfit to rule, and led a group of barons who forced the Provisions of Oxford on the king. When Henry refused to rule according to the Provisions, Simon ultimately led a baronial rebellion. He managed to capture the king at the Battle of Lewes. He then governed England as a military dictator for a short time. 

Henry III was a 13th century English king who came to the throne at an early age. His reign was marked by strife with barons, led by Simon de Montfort. By 1258, the situation had worsened, and Henry was forced to agree to the Provisions of Oxford. This was a document out-lining reforms to English Common Law. The reforms reinforced and refined many of the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, paving the way for greater rights and freedoms for the common man. 

The 13th century saw many changes in the English way of life. The feudal system began slowly breaking up. Trade and industry grew by leaps and bounds, and the towns were also becoming bigger and more prosperous.

 The most powerful king in medieval English history was Edward I who lived in the 13th century. He was perhaps the most brilliant at consolidating power. The institution he invented to achieve this end was the parliament. The purpose of parliament was to gather all the major vassals of the king in one place, explain to them the reasons for collecting taxes, and get their approval.

 The entire purpose of the development of parliament was efficiency. Eventually, however, after the reign of Edward, parliament would develop as a powerful check on the monarch’s power, though this had not been Edward’s intention.