# Good Parliament

Parliaments of England :
Predecessors   Witenagemot 7th – 11th centuries   Curia regis 1066 – c. 1215 :
Henry III   1st 1237   2nd 1242   3rd 1244   4th 1246   3rd 1247   4th 1248   Unnumbered 1251   5th 1252   6th 1253   7th 1254   8th 1255   9th 1258   10th "Oxford/Mad" 1258   11th "Simon de Montfort" 1265 :
Edward I   "Model" 1295 :
Edward II   "Westminster" 1327 :
Edward III   "Good" 1376   "Bad" 1377 :
Richard II   "Wonderful" 1386   "Merciless" 1388 :
Henry IV   "Convention" 1399   "Unlearned" 1404 :
Henry V   "Fire and Faggot" 1414 :
Henry VI   "Bats" 1426   "Devils" 1459 :
Edward IV :
Richard III :
Henry VII :
Henry VIII   "Reformation" 1529–1536 :
Edward VI :
Mary I   1st 1553   2nd 1554   3rd 1554–1555   4th 1555   5th 1558 :
Elizabeth I   1st 1559   2nd 1563–1567   3rd 1571   4th 1572–1583   5th 1584–1585   6th 1586–1587   7th 1589   8th 1593   9th 1597–1598   10th 1601 :
James I  1st "Blessed" 1604  2nd "Addled" 1614  3rd 1621  4th 1624 :
Charles I  1st "Useless" 1625  2nd 1626  3rd 1628  4th "Short" Apr 1640  5th "Long (1) Nov 1640  Oxford/Mongrel 1644 :
Revolution and Commonwealth  1st "Long (2) 1645  2nd "Rump (1)" 1648  3rd "Barebone's/Little/Nominated Assembly/Saints" 1653 :
Protectorate  1st 1654  2nd 1656  3rd 1659  4th "Rump (2)" 1659 :
Commonwealth  1st "Rump (3)" 1659  2nd "Long (3)" 1660 :
Charles II  1st "Convention (1)" 1660  2nd "Cavalier" 1661  3rd "Habeas Corpus/First Exclusion" 1679  4th "Exclusion Bill/Second Exclusion" 1680  5th "Oxford/Third Exclusion" 1681 :
James II  "Loyal" 1685 :
William III and Mary II  1st "Convention (2)" 1689  2nd 1690  3rd 1695  4th 1698  5th Feb 1701  6th Dec 1701 :
Anne  1st 1702  2nd 1705 :
List of parliaments of England List of acts of the Parliament of England
Other countries :
vte :
The Good Parliament is the name traditionally given to the English Parliament of 1376. Sitting in London from April 28 to July 10, it was the longest Parliament up until that time.
It took place during a time when the English court was perceived by much of the English population to be corrupt, and its traditional name was due to the sincere efforts by its members to reform the government. It had a formidable enemy, however, in John of Gaunt, fourth son of Edward III and the effective ruler of England at the time.

## In session

Parliament had not met since November 1373, two and a half years previously, because Edward III and his councillors recognised the danger of calling a parliament during a period of dissatisfaction.
However, the need for funds was so pressing in 1376 that another parliament was necessary.
Once the members were assembled, they were determined to clean up the corrupt Royal Council. Peter de la Mare, a knight of the shire representing Herefordshire, had been elected as Speaker by the House of Commons, and on the first day he delivered an address criticising England's recent military failures, condemning the corruption at court, and calling for close scrutiny of the royal accounts. Richard Lyons (Warden of the Mint) and Lord Latimer, who were believed to be robbing the treasury, were called before Parliament and then imprisoned. Latimer's impeachment is the earliest recorded in Parliament. The king's mistress, Alice Perrers, was called and condemned to seclusion.
John of Gaunt raised the question of the Salic law, which was the basis for the French case against Edward III's claim to the Crown of France, suggesting that the English follow the French custom, but was unable to sway the assembly to his point of view.
Meanwhile, the eldest prince of the realm, Edward the Black Prince, was dying. Having taken a house in London, he summoned both Edward III and John of Gaunt and made them swear to recognise his son, the future Richard II, as successor to Edward. Both John and the King swore to recognise Richard, and soon after Parliament summoned Richard and acknowledged him as heir to the throne. The members were swayed by the immense prestige of Prince Edward, the country's greatest military hero at the time.
Parliament then imposed a new set of councillors on the king: Edmund Mortimer, the Earl of March; William Courtenay, Bishop of London; and William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester.
Parliament was dissolved in July.

## Aftermath

The following autumn, John of Gaunt attempted to undo its work. He barred the admission of the new councillors assigned to the king. He threw Peter de la Mare into prison at Nottingham. He dismissed the new council and recalled Latimer. Alice of Perrers was restored to the company of the king. John also attacked William of Wykeham.
In 1377, John had another parliament convene, the Bad Parliament. John had the Good Parliament declared unconstitutional and its acts removed from the books. Despite this, the public treasured the memory of the reforming parliament, and bestowed upon it the name of the Good Parliament.