Duration of English parliaments before 1660 facts for kids

The Parliament of England was a very important group of people who helped the King or Queen make decisions and laws. This article tells you more about how Parliament started and lists some of the earliest meetings, going all the way back to the 1200s!

How Parliament Began

Parliament grew out of an older group called the Curia Regis. This was a special council that advised the king on making laws. It started after the Normans took over England in 1066. Before that, the Anglo-Saxons had a similar group called the Witenagemot. Both groups had important church leaders and powerful landowners.

The Curia Regis (which means "King's Court" in Latin) was made up of top church officials like archbishops and bishops, and the king's main landowners, such as earls and barons.

It's hard to say exactly when these meetings started being called "parliaments." The word parliamentum just meant a meeting where people talked and negotiated. People started using the word for council meetings in the 1230s and 1240s. The first time it was officially written down was in November 1236, when a court case was put off until a "parliamentum" meeting in Westminster.

One famous early meeting was at Merton Abbey in 1236. This meeting became known as the Parliament of Merton. It passed some laws, and these laws are the very first ones in England's official collection of statutes (laws). This meeting might not have been new, but we know about it because some old records were found.

Our list of parliaments starts with a meeting in London in 1242. This meeting was called in 1241. Again, this might not have been a new type of meeting, but we have records of it. We even have a copy of the official order (called a writ of summons) that called people to this meeting. A historian named Matthew Paris wrote about big political events at this meeting. He said the king asked for a tax, but the council (which was later called a parliament) said no! People at the time probably didn't see this meeting as different from other meetings of the Curia Regis. But since we need to start our list somewhere, this 1242 meeting was chosen.

Early Parliaments and the Commons

Until 1752, the English year started on March 25th. In this article, all dates have been changed to the modern calendar (where the year starts on January 1st). So, if a date was between January 1st and March 24th in the old calendar, it would be one year earlier.

Before 1265, early parliaments didn't usually include representatives from the regular communities of England. They were mostly made up of important church officials and landowners, whom the king personally asked to advise him. This group eventually became known as the House of Lords.

Sometimes, the local leaders (called sheriffs) were told to send "knights of the shire" (representatives from the counties) to parliaments before 1265. But these knights weren't chosen by elections. We don't know of any times when citizens from cities or towns were asked to attend. Records show that knights of the shire were summoned for the Oxford Parliament (1258) in 1258 (the 7th parliament of King Henry III) and for his 16th parliament in 1264.

The Montfort's Parliament in 1265 was a big step! It was the first English parliament to include representatives chosen by the counties, cities, and towns. These groups eventually formed the House of Commons. At first, the Lords and Commons all met together.

By 1320, it became normal practice to always call the Commons to Parliament. If the Commons were not called to an early parliament, it's mentioned in a note. Parliaments usually met in Westminster. If they met somewhere else, that's also noted. Any unusual things about when a parliament was called, who attended, or when it ended are also explained.

Parliaments of King Henry III

King Henry III ruled from October 1216 to November 1272.

Notes:-

¹ The leader of the House of Commons was first called the "Prolocutor" or Parlour. But "Speaker" became the most common title and has been used ever since the 1540s.

² No commoners (representatives from counties, cities, or towns) were called to these parliaments.

• (a) 7th: This Parliament met in Oxford. It's sometimes called the Mad Parliament. Only knights of the shire (from counties) were called, and they weren't elected. The date when orders for expenses were given is thought to be when it ended.
• (e) 17th: This is sometimes called Montfort's Parliament. It was the first Parliament where representatives from cities and towns were called, along with knights of the shire. It was also the first time these representatives had to be chosen by election. The date when orders for expenses were given is thought to be when it ended.

Parliaments of King Edward I

King Edward I ruled from November 1272 to July 1307.

Notes:-

¹ The leader of the House of Commons was first called the "Prolocutor" or Parlour. But "Speaker" became the most common title and has been used ever since the 1540s.

• (a) 1st: For the first time since 1264-65, representatives from the communities of the country were known to be called to Parliament.
• (f) 29th: This is the Model Parliament. It was called on September 30th, October 1st, and October 3rd, 1295. This is seen as the traditional start of the Commons regularly taking part in Parliament. The date when money was granted is thought to be when it ended.

Parliaments of King Edward II

King Edward II ruled from July 1307 to January 1327.

Notes:-

¹ The leader of the House of Commons was first called the "Prolocutor" or Parlour. But "Speaker" became the most common title and has been used ever since the 1540s.

² No commoners were called.

• (a) The date when orders for expenses were given is thought to be when it ended.
• (f) 26th: This Parliament continued into the next king's rule after King Edward II was removed from power. See the 1st Parliament of King Edward III of England for more details.

Parliaments of King Edward III

King Edward III ruled from January 1327 to June 1377.

Notes:-

¹ The leader of the House of Commons was first called the "Prolocutor" or Parlour. But "Speaker" became the most common title and has been used ever since the 1540s.

² Hungerford was the first leader of the Commons to be officially called "Speaker."

• (a) 1st: This Parliament continued from the last king's rule. The date when orders for expenses were given is thought to be when it ended.
• (j) 46th: Known as the Good Parliament.
• (k) 47th: Known as the Bad Parliament. The date when orders for expenses were given is thought to be when it ended.

Parliaments of King Richard II

Note:-

• (a) 14th: Known as the Wonderful Parliament.
• (b) 15th: Known as the Merciless Parliament.

Parliaments of King Henry IV

Note:-

• (a) 1st: Known as a Convention Parliament.

Parliaments of King Henry V

Note:-

• (b) Known as the Parliament of 1415.

Parliaments of King Henry VI

Note:-

• (a) 4th: Known as the Parliament of Bats.
• (b) 21st: Known as the Parliament of Devils.

Parliaments of King Edward IV

Parliament of King Richard III

Parliaments of King Henry VII

Parliaments of King Henry VIII

Note:-

• (a) 5th: Known as the Reformation Parliament.

Parliaments of King Edward VI

Parliaments of Queen Mary I

Parliaments of Queen Elizabeth I

Parliaments of King James I

Parliaments of King Charles I

The Long Parliament, which started during King Charles I's rule, lasted a very long time and had a complicated history. Even though it later went against King Charles I and continued after he died, he was the one who first called it. The table below shows the whole period of this Parliament. We've also tried to show the different stages of this Parliament in the next section. These stages are marked with a letter in the "-Plt" column.

Note:-

• (a) Speakers of the Long Parliament (including when it was the Rump Parliament): Lenthall (Nov 1640 – July 1647), Pelham (July – Aug 1647), Lenthall (Aug 1647 – April 1653, and Dec 1653 – Jan 1660), Say (Jan 1660), and Lenthall (Jan – March 1660).

The Long Parliament (Royalist phases)

Note:-

• (a) Phase 'a' of the Long Parliament was when it worked like a normal Parliament, needing King Charles I to agree to laws. A special law was made saying this Parliament couldn't be ended without its own permission. This phase ended when the King started the English Civil War on August 22, 1642.
• (b) Phase 'c' of the Long Parliament was the King's Oxford Parliament. Since the King couldn't legally end the Long Parliament, he called members to meet in Oxford. Royalists and those who wanted to end the Civil War peacefully attended these meetings. This was against the revolutionary Parliament (phase 'b', see below) meeting at Westminster at the same time.

Parliaments of the Revolution and Commonwealth

Note:-

• (a) This was phase 'b' of the Long Parliament. It acted as a revolutionary Parliament after the English Civil War began. Parliament started making laws by "Ordinance," meaning they didn't need the King's approval. This phase ended with Pride's Purge, which turned the Long Parliament into the Rump Parliament.
• (b) This was phase 'd' of the Long Parliament, known as the Rump Parliament. During this time, the Army only allowed certain members to be part of Parliament. The House of Lords was ended (February 6, 1649), and so was the monarchy (February 7, 1649). After that, the "Rump" (the small remaining part) of the House of Commons was the only part of Parliament left. It created the Commonwealth of England on May 19, 1649.
• (c) The Little or Barebones Parliament was a group of people chosen, not elected.

Parliaments of the Protectorate

These parliaments included people from Scotland and Ireland.

Note:-

• (a) This was phase 'e' of the Long Parliament. The Army brought back the Rump Parliament to end the Protectorate and bring back the Commonwealth government.

Parliaments of the Commonwealth

Note:-

• (a) This was phase 'f' of the Long Parliament, with the Rump Parliament running the restored Commonwealth government.
• (b) This was phase 'g' of the Long Parliament. Pride's Purge was undone, and the full Long Parliament made plans for a Convention Parliament, then ended itself.
• (c) This was a Convention Parliament that brought back the monarchy by recognizing King Charles II as the rightful King.

See also

• Duration of English, British and United Kingdom parliaments from 1660
• List of parliaments of England
• List of parliaments of Great Britain
• List of parliaments of the United Kingdom
• List of speakers of the House of Commons of England
• List of speakers of the British House of Commons
• List of British governments