A history of parliament
Subtitle: the Middle Ages
By: Ronald Butt.
Publisher: Constable
Published: 1989
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 662
Subjects: England and Wales. Parliament -- History.; Constitutional history, Medieval.
Description: "This is the first history to describe in narrative form the way in which Parliament evolved from politics throughout the Middle Ages, taking the reader to what can conveniently be regarded as the end of the English medieval period in 1485. The parliamentary idea of government by consultation pre-dated the birth of Parliament, and is as old as the English people. The author therefore begins by discussing the extent to which parliamentary functions were performed by the Anglo-Saxon Witan and by the enlarged councils of the early Plantagenet kings, the forerunners of Parliament. He then describes how Parliament emerged from the king's great council under Henry III, its attributes as the highest court in the land dealing with petitions, its employment by Edward I for law-making, taxation and consultation and its use as an instrument for opposition by the magnates during the final years of Edward I and the troubled reign of Edward II. The core of the book, however, is the political development of Parliament during the 14th century when it first assumed its characteristic features. In articular the 50-year reign of Edward III finally established the Commons as a result of Edward's dependence on them for money to pay for his war in France .By making taxation conditional on the redress of their grievances, the Commons laid the foundations for their future power. During the 15th century, the Commons' position and achievements were consolidated against the background of the strife between York and Lancaster which often erupted in Parliament."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.