1st Parliament of Queen Anne facts for kids
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The first Parliament of Queen Anne was a very important meeting of leaders in England. Queen Anne, who ruled England, called for this Parliament on 2 July 1702. It officially started on 20 August 1702, but the real work began on 20 October 1702.
This Parliament had a lot of members from the Tory political group. There were 298 Tories, 184 Whigs, and 31 other members. This was a big change from the last election, with many more Tories. A man named Robert Harley, who represented the area of Radnor, was chosen again as the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Speaker is like the leader of the discussions in Parliament.
Contents
Queen Anne's New Government
Queen Anne's new government was mostly made up of Tories. The main leaders were Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, who managed the country's money, and Marlborough, who was the top army commander. At this time, a huge war called the War of the Spanish Succession was happening.
Queen Anne was very dedicated to the Church of England. Because of this, she included several "High Church Tories" in her government. These were Tories who strongly supported the Church. One of them was her uncle, Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester.
However, there were disagreements between Godolphin and Rochester. This led to Rochester leaving the government in February 1703. As time went on, some of the High Church Tories became unhappy about how much the war was costing. They started to make it difficult for the government to get things done. Because of this, Queen Anne had to replace them after the second session of Parliament. Robert Harley, the Speaker, took on another big job. He became the Secretary of State for the Northern Department, which meant he was in charge of important government affairs, especially those related to other countries.
Important Laws and Discussions
During the third session of this Parliament, a law called the Aliens Bill was introduced. This bill was a serious warning to Scotland. It said that if Scotland did not agree to talk about joining England and accept the next royal family (the Hanoverian family) by 25 December 1705, there would be big problems.
- Scottish products would be banned from being imported into England.
- Scots would lose special rights they had as English citizens. This meant their property in England could be at risk.
This bill was a way to pressure Scotland to consider a union with England.
The End of Parliament
After a break in March 1705, the first Parliament of Queen Anne officially ended on 5 April 1705. A new Parliament would then be elected.
Key Laws Passed
This Parliament passed many important laws that shaped England. Here are some of them:
- Bridges Act 1702: This law was about building and maintaining bridges.
- Crown Lands Act 1702: This dealt with land owned by the King or Queen.
- Demise of the Crown Act 1702: This law made sure the government continued smoothly when a new King or Queen took the throne.
- Purchasers of Forfeited Estates, Ireland Act 1702: This law was about buying back land in Ireland that had been taken away.
- Treason Act 1702: This law defined what counted as treason (betraying the country).
- Mutiny Act 1703: This law helped control the army and prevent soldiers from rebelling.
- Queen Anne's Bounty Act 1703: This law helped poor clergy (church leaders) by giving them money.
- Recruiting Act 1703: This law helped the army find new soldiers.
- Correspondence with Enemies Act 1704: This law made it illegal to communicate with enemies during wartime.
- Trade with France Act 1704: This law dealt with trade between England and France.
- Administration of Justice Act 1705: This law improved how justice was carried out in courts.
- Bankruptcy Act 1705: This law helped people who could not pay their debts.
- Princess Sophia Naturalization Act 1705: This law made Princess Sophia, a future heir to the throne, an English citizen.
- Regency Act 1705: This law set up rules for who would rule if the King or Queen was too young or unable to govern.
- Alien Act of 1705: This was the bill mentioned earlier, which put pressure on Scotland.
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