Wonderful Parliament facts for kids
The Wonderful Parliament was a special meeting of the Parliament of England that happened in October and November 1386. It took place in Westminster Abbey in London.
King Richard II called this parliament because he needed money, especially for his wars in France. But things quickly changed. People were unhappy with the King because he gave too many gifts and special favors to his friends, especially his favorite, Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk. Also, England was not doing well in the Hundred Years' War against France, and there was a big fear that France was about to invade England.
When the King asked for a huge amount of money, the Lords and Commons (the two parts of Parliament) said no. Instead, they united against him and his unpopular chancellor, Michael de la Pole. They saw de la Pole as someone who got rich unfairly from the King's generosity and was blamed for the King's failures. Parliament demanded that de la Pole be removed from his job. This process is called impeachment, which means accusing a public official of wrongdoing.
At first, King Richard refused to come to Parliament. He even tried to stop the meeting entirely. He asked Parliament to send a few people to talk to him at Eltham Palace. But Parliament, worried about a trick, sent two powerful lords instead: the Duke of Gloucester (who was the King's uncle) and the Bishop of Ely. The Duke of Gloucester told Richard that if he didn't return to Westminster and listen to Parliament, he could lose his throne.
So, the King was forced to fire de la Pole. He also had to accept new advisors chosen by Parliament. King Richard was very angry about this. He believed he had a God-given right to choose his own ministers. He left Westminster almost immediately. For the next year, he traveled around, gathering support and trying to find ways to undo the limits Parliament had put on him. During this time, de la Pole even became the King's favorite again.
Even though the King managed to get rid of most of the restrictions from the Wonderful Parliament, the problems came back even worse a few years later. This led to fighting between the King and the nobles. In the end, de la Pole was sent away from England, and many of his supporters were executed.
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Why Was Parliament Called?
King Richard II became king in 1377 after his grandfather, Edward III of England, died. But people started to dislike him after he put down the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. People especially criticized him for giving too many gifts and special positions to a small group of friends. Historians have called this "lavish to the point of foolishness."
Parliament also felt that the King needed to spend money more carefully. They were unhappy seeing him give so much to a small group, especially to Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk. De la Pole was the King's chancellor, a very important job. He was the first in his family to become an earl, and some people saw him as an outsider who had too much power.
Problems with the War
The Hundred Years' War against France was not going well for England. Several military trips to France had failed. Despite these problems, the King kept asking Parliament for more money to pay for the war. People also disliked the King's advisors, especially de la Pole, who they felt had too much say in how England dealt with other countries.
De la Pole actually thought England should try to make peace with France. While this might have been a smart idea, many English nobles didn't like it. They were used to fighting wars, which brought them money and honor. Young nobles, like the Earls of Arundel and Warwick, had been kept happy by getting special benefits and war salaries from the King.
Fear of Invasion
The King's attempts to make peace with France didn't work well. This, along with his uncle John of Gaunt's trip to Spain, might have led to France planning a big invasion of England in 1386. France had also recently made a deal with Scotland to help each other against England.
John of Gaunt was the richest man in England after the King. He often used his money to help Richard. But with Gaunt away in Spain, he couldn't help the King when Parliament started to challenge him. The expensive and unsuccessful war with France was the main reason Parliament was called. It also made people very critical of the King's government.
Besides the war in France, the King urgently needed money to protect the border with Scotland and to defend England from the possible French invasion. People in the south-eastern parts of England were very scared in the summer of 1386. One writer at the time described how people were running around like "timid mice."
Parliament's Demands
The Parliament that met in 1385 had already tried to set up a special group to oversee the King's household and how he spent money. This group was like a temporary council to guide the King. But Richard limited its power to just one year, and it had ended by the time the 1386 Parliament met. This group had criticized the King's spending and tried to stop him from promoting his friends to high noble ranks. The King didn't like their advice and ignored it.
By October 1386, everyone could feel that there was a big political problem. England hadn't won any military victories since the last Parliament, even after an expensive trip to Scotland in 1385. This trip had been very unpopular because it forced people to join the army. The King's financial and military weaknesses were clear to everyone. If the trip had been a success, the King would have been seen as a great warrior, like his father and grandfather. But since it failed, Parliament had good reasons to be upset about the King's spending and his demands for taxes. Many of the complaints in 1386 had already been made in 1385, but nothing had been done.
The King's Power Challenged
England was facing a money crisis at home, and people blamed Chancellor Suffolk and the King's spending. The biggest problem with foreign policy was the threat of a French invasion. The King of France had gathered a huge fleet of ships in September 1386, and it seemed ready to sail.
In August, King Richard called his advisors to discuss the threat, and they decided to call Parliament. Important nobles and nearly 300 commoners were called to attend. In the meantime, an army of 10,000 men was gathered to protect London from the invasion. This army, and the urgent need for money to pay for it, was the main reason Parliament was called.
Parliament began on October 1, 1386. Michael de la Pole, as chancellor, gave the opening speech. He said that the King would personally lead a trip to France to fight for his claim to the French throne. He also talked about other things, like changing the value of money and moving a trading post. But de la Pole had completely misjudged the mood of the people in Parliament.
Asking for Money
The first and most important item on Parliament's agenda was the King's request for a huge tax of about £155,000. This was a massive amount of money, never before demanded. This request immediately led to de la Pole's downfall.
Both the Commons and the Lords were "with one mind" complaining strongly. The Commons, representing public opinion, wanted someone to blame. The Lords, led by powerful nobles like the Earls of Warwick and Arundel, and important bishops, were a strong opposition to the 19-year-old King.
The exact details of how things happened are not fully known, but no royal business was done. Discussions quickly moved from the tax to the King's chancellor. The King strongly defended his right to choose his own ministers. But the Commons demanded that the King choose his advisors in Parliament, which would put them under Parliament's control.
The Attack on Michael de la Pole
It's possible that Parliament originally planned to attack Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, another of the King's favorites. But they ended up focusing on de la Pole because he was seen as a "newcomer" to the nobility and therefore an easier target. The plan was to remove de la Pole, which was an indirect way to challenge the King.
The accusations against de la Pole were not perfectly prepared, but they were serious. Some charges were hard to prove. Others, like how the war with France was handled, were the responsibility of the entire royal council, not just de la Pole. Some historians even question if the claims against de la Pole were truly serious, suggesting they were just excuses to get rid of an unpopular minister.
In any case, Parliament became very focused on attacking de la Pole personally and accusing him of misusing his power. The whole affair lasted for at least a month and ended up with three weak charges. De la Pole defended himself by saying that his accusers expected higher standards from him than from other advisors, and that he couldn't be blamed alone for decisions made by the whole council.
King Richard did not attend Parliament in person. He had gone to his palace at Eltham, possibly out of anger, and refused to agree to Parliament's demands to remove de la Pole. One writer at the time said the King declared he wouldn't fire even a kitchen servant just because Parliament asked him to. Another writer said the King even tried to stop Parliament at this point, but the Commons refused to leave. The King's actions reminded people of Edward II's attempts to stop Parliament earlier in the 14th century, which the nobles in 1386 remembered.
The King's Absence
Until this time, Richard had usually attended Parliament. The Commons told him that they couldn't get much done without him there. In response, the King asked for 40 members of Parliament to come to Eltham to finish discussions. However, some people believed the King planned to arrest or even kill them. This might have just been a rumor, but Parliament didn't take any chances. They sent the King's uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Bishop of Ely instead. This showed that Parliament believed the King's absence weakened their ability to negotiate.
Gloucester and the bishop spoke to the King about what they believed his duty was. They even referred to old, but possibly made-up, laws and traditions. Gloucester seemed to threaten Richard with losing his throne, or at least brought up the example of Edward II. Edward II had been forced to either give up his throne or have his son (who later became Edward III) lose his right to be king.
One writer claimed that Richard even threatened to ask the King of France for help against his own people. But the Duke and the Bishop reminded him that the King of France was England's biggest enemy and would only try to take over England, not help him. They also reminded Richard that his father and grandfather had worked hard to conquer France, not ask it for help.
Because of this pressure, Richard became sad and agreed to return to Parliament and accept their demands.
In a final mistake, the King had promoted de Vere from Earl of Oxford to Marquess of Dublin on October 13. This made people even angrier, as few thought he deserved such an honor. The King finally fired de la Pole as Chancellor ten days later and appointed the Bishop of Ely. The Treasurer and the Keeper of the Privy Seal were also fired. The King was also forced to withdraw his plans to make two other friends into earls because they were so unpopular.
Parliament ended on November 28. The rest of the meeting was spent setting up another group to oversee the King. Historians note that "Richard was furious" because, at 19 years old, he was basically being treated like a child who needed a tutor. This was the seventh time Parliament had tried to put such a group in charge of the King in five years.
Geoffrey Chaucer and the Parliament
One famous person who was part of the Wonderful Parliament was Geoffrey Chaucer, a well-known poet and public servant. He was elected to represent Kent. We don't know exactly what he thought about the events, but some people believe he used his experiences from this Parliament and another one called the Merciless Parliament as ideas for his poem The Parliament of Foules.
Some scholars think that Chaucer based a character in his story "The Reeve's Tale" on de la Pole. This character is shown as very proud before being publicly embarrassed, similar to de la Pole's situation. Chaucer's time in Parliament might also have influenced a scene in his long poem, Troilus and Criseyde, where the assembled Parliament, not the King, causes a political disaster.
Recent writers suggest that Chaucer's works show he was "astounded at the vindictiveness" of some of the King's enemies. His later work seems to be more cynical about how Parliament worked. It's thought that Chaucer was personally affected by the events of the 1386 Parliament and its harsh results. He was a royal appointee in his job as London customs' controller, and he was also a friend to some of those who were attacked, like Simon Burley. Chaucer might have even felt personally in danger because of the attacks on the King's power. For example, one demand made to Parliament was that customs controllers in ports should be fired for "corruption." Chaucer was the customs controller for the Port of London, and the leader of the opposition, Gloucester, was owed money from that port. Because of this, some think Chaucer might have felt the accusation of corruption was aimed at him.
Images for kids
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King Richard II of England, from the portrait in Westminster Abbey.
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