In the modern world, almost every state has its own parliament, which is necessary to express the interests of different sectors of society. This system was one of the first to appear in medieval England.
The fight of kings and feudal lords
In the 13th century, the island kingdom often suffered from civil wars and conflicts. One of the reasons for this disorder was the struggle between the royal power and the feudal estate. Barons and lords wanted to strengthen their influence on the state in order to take part in the government of the country.
Even under King John the Landless (ruled in 1199–1216), in 1215, the Magna Carta appeared. This document was drafted with the participation of barons who wanted to obtain new legal rights and protect their own privileges. The date of the birth of the English parliament is closely connected with the charter, which was only the “first sign” in the long process of strengthening the feudal system in the state.
Henry III
The son of John, Henry III, took the throne in 1216 as a child. The regency council ruled for him. Having matured, Henry began to pursue a tough policy aimed at strengthening the royal power. The barons and other feudal lords, accustomed to the order of things enshrined in the charter of liberties, were extremely dissatisfied with the behavior of the monarch.
In addition, Henry III surrounded himself with foreigners, including the French, who were not tolerated in London. Such behavior led to a deterioration in the relationship between him and his own nobility. The only arbiter in this conflict could be the Pope - the spiritual father of all Christians. With his cooperation, Henry promised the barons that he would abide by the terms of the Great Charter of his father, and also agreed to establish a parliament where representatives of the aristocracy would sit. So, in 1258, the Oxford Accords were concluded.
According to this document, the formation of the English parliament was to occur. The date of this event was not specified in writing, but the king promised that a representative body would appear in the very near future. But very soon, the Pope freed the monarch from promises. Heinrich needed money in order to wage war against France and Wales. Therefore, he began to raise taxes, breaking his promises made under the Great Charter.
Baron rebellion
In 1263, the barons, dissatisfied with the decisions of the king, declared war on him. This group was led by Simon de Montfort. After the Battle of Lewis, Henry III was captured with his son Edward. The victorious aristocrats convened a representative body in 1265. This was the date of the emergence of the English parliament. The meetings took place at Westminster Palace.
The date of the emergence of the English parliament was marked by the fact that the new representative body gathered deputies from various classes: not only the higher clergy and knights, but also the urban population. Deputies were divided according to the territorial principle. When the date of the appearance of the English parliament came, representatives of all cities of the country went to the Palace of Westminster . At the same time, London and five other important ports had four representatives each. Other cities sent two people each. This system, adopted in the 13th century, was the embryo of the modern House of Commons.
The appearance of Parliament
Simon de Montfort came to power in the country. It was he who became the person thanks to whom the emergence of the English parliament became possible. The date of this event coincided with the time of increasing its influence in the state. However, already in the spring of 1265, the legitimate heir Edward fled from captivity. He gathered around him a loyal army, with which he tried to return the throne to his father, Henry III. Because of this, the beginning of the process of the emergence of the English parliament was in the shadow of a new internecine war.
On August 4, at the battle of Evesham, the rebel barons were defeated, and Simon de Montfort was killed. Henry III came to power again. However, the process of the emergence of the English parliament has already ended, and the monarch decided not to abandon this authority. With this king and his son, he did not pose a threat to the rule of the dynasty.
The Importance of Parliament
The emergence of the English Parliament (date - 1265) played an important role in the history of England. Now residents of various cities sent their representatives to the capital, who could directly inform the supreme authority about the problems of ordinary people. Therefore, in the UK, every citizen knows when the English parliament arose. The date of this event is annually celebrated in the country.
In 1295, the parliament began to assemble under the new rules, which have not changed much to this day. Now representatives from each county appeared in the ward. The date of the birth of the English parliament (the year 1265) was one of those dates thanks to which civil society was able to achieve the recognition of their rights by the supreme royal authority.
Parliament Functions
The most important function of this meeting was to determine the amount of taxes. In addition, his deputies could send petitions in the name of the king. All this became possible only after these innovations occurred (the text had already indicated the date of the emergence of the English parliament). The history of this institute is very saturated. Deputies in different eras became expressors of popular discontent with the authorities.
From the 15th century, parliament acquired the right to pass laws, which the king also had to approve. The interaction of these two branches of government made it possible to obtain the balance of interests due to which one of the most stable political systems in the world exists in Great Britain today. It was in parliament that a new form of lawmaking appeared - the bill. They were drawn up by deputies, who coordinated the interests of different layers of English society.