Category Social Sciences

Henry II, who came to the throne of England in 1154, was one of the most effective of all England’s monarchs. He ruled over an empire that included half of France as well as England, Wales and Scotland. This meant that he had to travel a lot, and while he was away, he wanted a government that would function well in his absence.

The chief officers in the kingdom were the Chancellor, the Keeper of the Privy Seal, and the Treasurer. They looked after all affairs of the state. Henry instituted many reforms to weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castles built during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replaced military service as the primary duty of those under him. The exchequer, which looked after the king’s financial affairs, was revitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection. Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks that stabilized procedure.

Henry is considered to be the founder of English Common Law. 

 After the last Anglo-Saxon king died in England, several people claimed the throne. One was the late king’s cousin, William, Duke of Normandy. He invaded England, and at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William defeated another rival for the throne. William was then crowned King of England.

To keep all his Norman nobles happy and to thank them for their help, William took all the land away from the Saxon church officials and nobles, and gave it all to his Norman friends.

 William set up his own council of Norman nobles and bishops. He called it the Great Council. The Great Council grew to become an important part of government. By the 1200’s, the Great Council was called parliament. It is still called parliament today.

 William ordered a survey of all the lands and other assets of his new subjects, detailing who owned what. This is known as the ‘Doomsday Book’. His magistrates used this information to levy taxes more effectively. 

The Althing in Iceland, founded in the year AD 930, is usually given the credit of being the world’s oldest parliament. At the beginning it was a general assembly of freemen to vote and discuss issues of common concern. The Althing was suspended from 1800 to 1845.The world’s oldest continuous parliament is a title claimed by the Tynwald in the Isle of Man, which dates back to AD 979. But actually, lots of civilizations throughout history, like the Mesopotamian and Indus civilizations, have also claimed to have had parliaments. 

Though the first modern parliament can be traced back to the Curia Regis in 13th century England, the origins of parliament go back to the sixth century when England was ruled by Anglo Saxon tribes. In each of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms, an assembly called the Witenagemot existed. It was composed of important churchmen, earls, and other members of the nobility.

 The Witenagemot had considerable powers. The advices of the group were usually sought by the king in matters of laws, taxes, foreign negotiations, and national defense. The word Witenagemot is a combination of two old English words, ‘Witen’ which means wise men, and ‘gemot’ which means meeting- so the Witenagemot was considered to be a meeting of wise men.

 The beginning of the modern parliament can be traced back to the 13th century when a council, known as the Curia Regis, or Great Council, advised the king. The Curia Regis was made up of noblemen and church officials. It was in fact, an English court, and it assumed this name during the reign of Henry II. It was called Curia or Aula Regis because it was held in the great hall of the king’s palace.

At first, the king administered justice in person. Later, justice was administered by the king’s judges. The judges who sat in this court were called ‘justices’. Besides these justices, the chief justice the steward of all England, the chancellor, the chamberlain, and the treasurer also took part in the proceedings of this court. The institution known as the parliament developed gradually from the Curia Regis. 

The British Parliament was once described as the ‘mother of parliaments’ by the nineteenth century radical John Bright. It is one of the models of democratic government followed by many countries throughout the world, and is result of over 800 years of development and honoured tradition. During its first 400 years, Parliament developed from being the royal debating chamber or, the King’s Great Council, to becoming one of the nation’s key political institutions.

The British Parliament has influenced democratic systems in America and in many European countries, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In fact, most of the nations that were once part of the British Empire-including India- have parliaments and constitutions that are inspired by the British parliament.