The creation of parliament Flashcards
What is the house of lords?
The second, unelected chamber of UK parliament
What is the house of commons?
The chamber where elected members of the UK parliament sit
What is Westminster Hall?
A large chamber in Westminster where the Norman kings would meet with the nobility
What is the Palace of Westminster?
Originally a royal palace attached to Westminster Hall, today it is the seat of government and comprises Westminster Hall, the commons and the lords
What is parliament?
The British legislative authority that is made up of the lords, commons and monarchy
What is sovereignty?
The control of power and the ability to distribute and reclaim it in a political system
What is a codified constitution?
A single authoratative document setting out all the laws, rules and principles by which a state is governed and the rights of citizens are protected
What are acts of parliament?
Laws that have been formally passed by parliament and given royal assent by the monarch
What prompted the creation of the commons in 1275?
Edward I’s desire to fund a war with Scotland; he knew that the lords would vote against his proposals for an increased tax to fund this, so he invited knights and burgesses, people without noble status, to vote on the issue in order to dilute the power of the lords
What made 1327 a particularly significant year in relations between King and parliament?
King Edward II was formally removed as King by parliament following a period of civil on the basis that his personal faults and weak leadership had led to disaster in England. They decided to replace him with his son, Edward III. This established the principle that the monarch (and eventually the government) was accountable to parliament and could be removed by parliament
Where does sovereignty lie in most political systems?
Within a codified constitution
How did Henry VIII establish the principle of parliamentary sovereignty?
He used acts of parliament to justify the break with the Roman Catholic Church, saying that the changes should be respected as they had the approval of the will of the people. He would repeatedly state that, as the representative body of the people, parliament had the power to approve the actions of the King
Where did parliamentary sovereignty become a major issue?
During the English Civil War
