Topic 2: The origins of parliament

Question 1

Who was King Henry III?

Answer 1

When King John dies in 1216 his young son became king Henry III and ruled with the help of advisors. In 1234 he started to rule on his own, and before long his relationship with the barons was at breaking point.

Question 2

What were King Henry’s problems?

Answer 2

The Pope
- Henry III was a very pious king which meant he had a close relationship with Pope Innocent in Rome. The pope tries to use Henry to fight wars in Sicily.
- Henry was meant to pay the Pope money to fight these wars and when he did not pay, the new Pope, Alexander IV, threatened to excommunicate the king.
- The pope also wanted Henry’s brother, Richard, to become holy roman emperor, which was an important job. This meant that Henry would feel pressured to help pay for the Pope’s wars.

The French
- His father, John, had lost a lot of French lands so Henry had to raise money to fund war campaigns to get them back.
- He was unsuccessful at first but then he sent his brother in law, the powerful and aristocratic Simon de Monfort, who won land back in Gascony and controlled the area for Henry.
- Reports reached Henry that Simon had been to harsh with the French people, so he sent his son Edward to keep control.

The Barons
- By 1254 Henry’s relationship with the barons had deteriorated - they were angry about his various schemes.
- They were angry that Henry’s French family were given jobs in the English court and Italian clergy were given top jobs in church.
Henry’s tax increases to pay the pope made the barons angry as they were the ones who had to pay.

Question 3

What were the Provisions of Oxford?

Answer 3

• Due to the issues between the barons and the king they refused to support him. Simon de Monfort led the barons to call a Great Council meeting in 1258. Here, King Henry had to agree to the Provisions of Oxford.
• The barons also refused to fund the planned payment to the pope over the wars in Sicily. The provision of Oxford gave the barons great power. Barons could now make decision without the king’s approval but the king could not make decisions without the approval of the council.
• The provisions of Oxford, extended in 1259 in the Provisions of Westminster, reformed local governments and gave more power to the less powerful and wealthy in society. This angered some older barons who felt the reforms were getting in the way of their local interests. Some younger barons were angered by the provisions as they were not elected to the council and therefore lost their influence. The barons were divided.

Question 4

The Second Barons’ war

Answer 4

• Henry gained the support of those barons who did not like Simon and the provisions of Oxford. Henry wrote to the pope and asked for his permission to cancel the provisions. In 1261 the pope agreed, so Henry appointed his own men to the great council.
• Henry ruled badly as he had before, and after 3 years the barons called upon Simon. The second barons war began. At the battle of Lewes in 1264 Simon captured the king and imprisoned his son, Edward. Simon was now in charge and England was on its way to become a republic.

Question 5

What was the parliament of 1265?

Answer 5

-Simon de Monfort created a council of 9 of his closest friends and allies.
- He reconfirmed Magna Carta and the provisions of Oxford.
- Barons started to worry that he’d become too powerful.
- In 1265 de Monfort called a meeting of the Great council inviting rich merchants (the burgesses) and knights: this meant he had now secured support from the ordinary people - who were sometimes referred to as the ‘commoners’. This group later became known as the Commons, in this early form of parliament. This developed democracy in England and would help pave a way for all groups to have a voice.

Question 6

What was the Battle of Evesham?

Answer 6

The barons started to get concerned that de Monfort was becoming an autocrat so they put their support behind Henry. Prince Edward had been released from prison and had raised an army. On 4th August 1265 at the battle of Evesham de Monfort fell from his horse. His body was cut into pieces and sent around the country as a warning. The monarchy was back.

Question 7

What was the significant of the Parliament? Short, medium and long term impacts

Answer 7

Short term impacts
- Henry III ruled until 1272 but he never called another meeting of the great council; when his son Edward became King Edward I he learned from his father’s mistakes and called many parliaments.
- In 1295 Edward called the model parliament, which was the first parliament that resembled our parliament today, with invited aristocrats, and elected commoners.

Medium term impacts
- The king’s power was challenged again in 1649 with the death of Charles I and the start of the English Revolution; a republic governed for a period of time.
- The king’s power was not totally changed until the Glorious revolution of 1688 and 1689 Bill of Rights - parliament gained more control than the monarch.

Long term impacts
- 1840’s: The chartists campaigned for representation for the working class.
- Women waited a long term for their voices to be heard: all women and men over the age of 21 got the vote in 1928 (from 1918-28 women aged 21-30 were allowed to vote but only if they owned property.

Today
- The queen or king is a figurehead with no direct influence over the government.