Category Civics

During the thirteenth century, in England, the word ‘parliament’ often referred to the assemblies that were summoned by the king. These assemblies acted as a session of the nobility. However, when Simon de Montfort came to power, he needed the support of all the people. He summoned the Great Council more frequently. In 1265, in addition to the Lords, he also included burgesses from the towns. The burgesses were the representatives of the ordinary people.

The parliament of 1265, therefore, marks a great advance in the constitutional history of England. The old council of the king had been strictly an assembly of nobles. At its meetings, the ordinary people were not expected to be present. The parliament of 1265 marks the first time that ordinary people were represented at the assemblies. This gathering set a precedent for the future, and in this sense, perhaps, Simon may be called the ‘creator of the House of Commons’.

Simon de Montfort was a Frenchman who married King Henry III’s sister. He owned land in England, and became the Earl of Leicester. Simon considered Henry unfit to rule, and led a group of barons who forced the Provisions of Oxford on the king. When Henry refused to rule according to the Provisions, Simon ultimately led a baronial rebellion. He managed to capture the king at the Battle of Lewes. He then governed England as a military dictator for a short time. 

Henry III was a 13th century English king who came to the throne at an early age. His reign was marked by strife with barons, led by Simon de Montfort. By 1258, the situation had worsened, and Henry was forced to agree to the Provisions of Oxford. This was a document out-lining reforms to English Common Law. The reforms reinforced and refined many of the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, paving the way for greater rights and freedoms for the common man. 

The 13th century saw many changes in the English way of life. The feudal system began slowly breaking up. Trade and industry grew by leaps and bounds, and the towns were also becoming bigger and more prosperous.

 The most powerful king in medieval English history was Edward I who lived in the 13th century. He was perhaps the most brilliant at consolidating power. The institution he invented to achieve this end was the parliament. The purpose of parliament was to gather all the major vassals of the king in one place, explain to them the reasons for collecting taxes, and get their approval.

 The entire purpose of the development of parliament was efficiency. Eventually, however, after the reign of Edward, parliament would develop as a powerful check on the monarch’s power, though this had not been Edward’s intention.

King John was a very unpopular monarch who came to the throne of England in 1199. The lords of England hated John, because he taxed everyone heavily, and was generally a weak and nasty ruler. By 1215, the English lords had enough of his misrule, and they got together an army and marched to London. John was forced to sign the paper they put in front of him, which is known as The Magna Carta. Did you know that Magna Carta means ‘Great Letter’ in Latin? The Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in history. It guaranteed the people certain rights, and bound the king to certain laws. To begin with, the king had to obey the law, like other people. Moreover, if the king broke the law, the lords had the right to remove that king. In particular, the king could not collect new taxes. After writing the document, these nobles forced King John to sign it, on the threat of civil war. Their intention was only to protect the rights of nobles. Nevertheless, in time, the rights established by the Magna Carta were also extended to commoners. The Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede, Surrey, and South England in 1215.

Henry II, who came to the throne of England in 1154, was one of the most effective of all England’s monarchs. He ruled over an empire that included half of France as well as England, Wales and Scotland. This meant that he had to travel a lot, and while he was away, he wanted a government that would function well in his absence.

The chief officers in the kingdom were the Chancellor, the Keeper of the Privy Seal, and the Treasurer. They looked after all affairs of the state. Henry instituted many reforms to weaken traditional feudal ties and strengthen his position. Unauthorized castles built during the previous reign were razed. Monetary payments replaced military service as the primary duty of those under him. The exchequer, which looked after the king’s financial affairs, was revitalized to enforce accurate record keeping and tax collection. Henry empowered a new social class of government clerks that stabilized procedure.

Henry is considered to be the founder of English Common Law.