de Montfort's Parliament

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Brief Introduction by the Blog Author

A radically different and more modern English parliament was held beginning exactly 750 years ago today (January 20^th).  This was part of a century of unrest and civil wars following the signing of Magna Carta on June 15, 1215.  Below are some historical details about the new parliament.

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De Montfort's Parliament was an English parliament held from 20 January 1265 until mid March the same year, instigated by Simon de Montfort, a baronial rebel leader. De Montfort had seized power in England following his victory over Henry III at the Battle of Lewes during the Second Baron’s War, but his grip on the country was under threat. In attempt to gather more support, he summoned representatives from not only the barons and the county knights, which had occurred in previous parliaments, but also burgesses from the major towns. The resulting parliament in London discussed radical reforms and temporarily stabilised de Montfort's political situation. De Montfort was killed at the Battle of Evesham later that year, but the idea of inviting both knights and burgesses to parliaments became more popular under the reign of Edward I and by the 14th century had become the norm, becoming known as the House of Commons. As a result, this parliament is sometimes referred to as the first English parliament, and de Montford himself is often termed the founder of the Commons.

Although de Montfort claimed to be ruling in the King's name through a council of officials, he had effective political control over the government, the first time this had happened in English history.  De Montfort successfully held a parliament in London in June 1264 to confirm new constitutional arrangements for England; four knights were summoned from each county, chosen by the county court, and were allowed to comment on general matters of state – the first time this had occurred.  De Montfort was unable to consolidate his victory at Lewes, however, and widespread disorder persisted across the country.  In France, Eleanor made plans for an invasion of England with the support of Louis.

In response, and hoping to win wider support for his government, de Montfort summoned a new parliament for 20 January 1265 which continued until mid March that year.  It was held at short notice, with the summons being issued on 14 December, leaving little time for attendees to respond.  He summoned not only the barons, senior churchmen and two knights from each county, but also two burgesses from each of the major towns such as York, Lincoln, Sandwich, and the Cinque Ports, the first time this had been done.  Due to the lack of support for de Montfort among the barons, only 23 of them were summoned to parliament, in comparison to the summons issued to 120 churchmen, who largely supported the new government. It is unknown how many burgesses were called but crucially included London, which was the largest city in England whose continuing loyalty was essential to de Montfort's cause.  The event was overseen by King Henry, and held in the Palace of Westminster.

This parliament was a populist, tactical move by de Montfort in an attempt to gather support from the regions, and the historian Jeffrey Hamilton characterises it as a "a very partisan assembly, not some sort of proto-democratic representative body". Once again the representatives were allowed to comment on wider political matters than just the usual issues of taxation.  The business of the parliament focused on enforcing the Provisions of Westminster, in particular its restrictions on the major nobles, and promising judicial help to those who felt they were suffering from unfair feudal lordship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Montfort%27s_Parliament