Topic in English The British Parliament. Where and when did parliament appear in England? The history of parliament The last time parliament met in England

Introduction 3

The emergence and formation of the English Parliament 4

Structure of Parliament in England 7

Functions of Parliament in England 11

Conclusion 14

List of sources and literature 16

Introduction

The study of the history of state and law of foreign countries has great importance for Russian law student. After all, many countries adopt the experience of other nations in their development. And our country is no exception.

England has had an interesting journey historical development from the early feudal states of the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians to one of the most developed countries in the World.

One of the interesting and important milestones in the history of England is the period of parliamentary activity, which continues to this day.

This question is relevant because modern Great Britain has retained its historical form of government - a parliamentary monarchy. This country is also considered the birthplace of modern parliamentary democracy.

1. Studying the history of the English Parliament;
2. Consideration of the structure of parliament;
3. Outline of the main functions of parliament.

1. Studying literature on the topic;
2. Collection and synthesis of materials;
3. Drawing conclusions.

The emergence and formation of the English Parliament

The English Parliament has passed through an interesting and instructive history: although at present the chief organ of the political life of England and the model for the constitutional institutions of Europe, it in the past gradually developed out of conditions which had little in common with the orders of modern political freedom.

At the beginning, the structure of England had rather similarities with the structure of neighboring barbarian states, but gradually the common Western European institutions received a unique arrangement on the island, among which the embryos of a parliamentary structure were formed. Already in the Anglo-Saxon period some preparatory facts can be pointed out. According to the description of the German tribes by Tacitus, the supreme power belongs not to the king, but to the people, and this popular supremacy is exercised through the activities of two institutions - the veche and the council of tribal leaders. The Anglo-Saxons, in the era of their division into small kingdoms, have both of these institutions: a tribal assembly - folkmot - and a council of the wisest — Witenagemot.

When the small kingdoms merged into one, the tribal assemblies turned into regional ones, by county; a general council of the Angles was not formed, but under the king, part of the rights of the previous council were transferred to the Witenagemot. The Witenagemot became, as it were, a two-way institution: on the one hand, it acted as a royal council and was replenished largely at the will of the king, from his warriors and officials; on the other hand, it limited the power of the king. The exact relationship between the two authorities was not defined.

The Normans, having conquered England in 1066, retained the ancient regional institutions, as well as the Witenagemot. The first Norman kings usually convened three solemn sessions of the council to carry out the most important matters. One of external signs Such ceremonial meetings involved the king putting on a crown. The Norman Conquest, however, was the beginning of a new, feudal period for England, and under the influence of feudalism the forms and essence of meetings changed.

Instead of a loosely organized "tribe" and more or less subordinate advisers, the kings found themselves face to face with a powerful feudal aristocracy, which recognized them only as first among equals. Due to the division of feudal states into many almost independent seigneuries and church estates, the implementation of any decree obligatory for all these parts required the participation of all of them.

Everywhere in Western Europe at this time, diets or congresses of feudal lords arose, which resolved issues of international relations, measures of internal administration, legislative regulations, about taxation. These congresses are composed, by analogy with seigniorial curiae, from the king’s vassals.

English kings also turn to such congresses to approve general regulations and receive subsidies; but the authority of the English congresses is enhanced by the fact that they are, as it were, a continuation of the ancient Witenagemot. When the feudal lords close in class and enter into a systematic struggle with the kings, one of their main demands concerns the convening of congresses to authorize emergency subsidies ( legitimate reasons 4 cases were considered for the collection of subsidies from vassals: when a lord gave his daughter in marriage, when he made his son a knight, when he had to be ransomed from captivity, when he went on a crusade).

The Magna Carta, given in 1215 by John the Landless, included a paragraph according to which in such cases the Commune consilium of the kingdom was convened. When Henry III approved the Magna Carta, this article was omitted, but the general view that feudal lords should not be subjected to extraordinary subsidies without their consent was rooted in the very foundations of the feudal system, and the king had to take it into account. It cannot be said that kings willingly submitted to feudal theories or accepted them entirely. At court, views developed that were in sharp contradiction with feudalism - views according to which the king was the source of all power in the country and was not obliged to comply with the wishes and advice of his subjects. Throughout the reign of Henry III, there was a struggle between these views and the social forces representing them.

In 1264, the barons defeated the king at Lewis and their main leader, Simon de Montfort, organized a council of 9 members, which actually took the king under his wing and assumed the highest leadership of state affairs. To support this council, Montfort convened a Parliament at the beginning of 1265, which differed in composition from previous feudal congresses: barons, bishops and abbots who supported Montfort's party were summoned, and in addition two knights from each county and 2 deputies from the most important cities. There had been cases before when kings turned to the deputies of the knighthood or cities with requests for money, but Montfort for the first time united all these groups into a general council of the kingdom or parliament. Montfort's opponent and conqueror, Edward I, constantly busy with wars in France, Scotland and Wallis, was forced to return to the same system in order to ensure sufficient subsidies for himself. Beginning in 1295, he began to convene Parliament according to the model of 1265.

Structure of Parliament in England

From the middle of the 14th century. Parliament began to be divided into two houses: the upper House of Lords, where prelates and barons sat, and the lower House of Commons, where knights and representatives of cities sat. The fact that the townspeople and knights sat together distinguished the English parliament from estate-representative assemblies in other countries; their strong alliance provided the House of Commons with great influence in the political life of England. The clergy was not particularly prominent in the English Parliament.

The House of Lords included representatives of the secular and ecclesiastical aristocracy who were part of the Great Royal Council. Personalized invitations signed by the king were sent to them. In theory, the monarch might not have invited this or that magnate, but in reality, cases when the heads of noble families were not invited to parliament became common by the 15th century. rarity. The existing system of case law in England gave the lord, who once received such an invitation, the basis to consider himself a permanent member of the upper house. The number of lords was small. Even if all the invitees gathered for the session, which was not the case in the 14th-15th centuries. almost never happened, it rarely reached 100 people.

Meetings of the House of Lords were held in the White Hall of the Palace of Westminster.

The situation with the House of Commons was different. As a separate parliamentary structure, this chamber took shape gradually during the second half of the 14th century. The name of the lower house comes from the concept of “Commons”. In the XIV century. it meant a special social group, a kind of “middle” class, which included knighthood and the elite of the townspeople. That is, “communities” began to be called that part of the free population that had full rights, a certain income and a “good” name. The rights of this “middle” class gradually included the right to vote and be elected to the lower house of parliament. The awareness of its importance, which was actively formed during the 14th-15th centuries, sometimes determined the position of the House of Commons in relation to the lords and even the king.

By the end of the 14th century. the position of speaker arose, who was elected by deputies from their ranks and represented the chamber, without at all leading it, in negotiations with the lords and the king. The appearance of this figure is characteristic of the lower house, which was primarily an assembly, that is, a collective organization.
Deputies of the lower house were elected locally according to the same principle that had been in effect since the first parliament of de Montfort: 2 knights from each county and 2 representatives from the most significant cities. The number of such cities changed over time, and the number of members of the House of Commons changed accordingly. On average it was in the middle of the 14th century. 200 people.
Members of the lower house, unlike the lords, received monetary allowances: county knights 4 shillings, townspeople 2 shillings for each day of the session. By the beginning of the 15th century. these payments have become traditional.

The House of Commons met in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey.

Elections were held before each session, approximately two to three months before its opening, and began with letters - orders that were sent from the royal office to the sheriffs of the counties. After the elections, these documents were to be returned to the Chancellor's office with the names of the elected deputies written on them.

In the XIV-XV centuries. society has an idea of ​​the status of a deputy. This concept applied equally to members of both chambers and included a number of legal privileges, primarily parliamentary immunity. It came into practice by the beginning of the 15th century. and implied the protection of the life and property of deputies, as well as freedom from arrest, but only for the duration of the session.

The sheriff was in charge of elections, and they were held in county assemblies.

These organizations, which had more long history, than parliament, were part of the structure of local self-government. Its objects were urban and rural communities, parishes and monasteries, united into larger corporations: communities of hundreds and, finally, communities of counties.

Assemblies of hundreds and counties, dating back to the ancient popular assemblies of tribal society, were regularly convened since pre-Norman times. After the conquest, they assumed administrative functions - judicial and fiscal - and were placed under the control of the central government. However, their independence was partially preserved.

Medieval England thus had a strong system of local government and self-government (throughout the territory, not just in towns).

If personally dependent peasants - villans - could participate in meetings of hundreds, then in assemblies of counties only free ones could participate, starting with freeholders and ending with magnates, who, however, preferred to send a deputy in their place. Thus, the majority in the county assemblies were medium and small feudal lords and wealthy peasantry, i.e. those middle layers that were defined by the term community.

The main role in the elections belonged to the sheriffs. They had significant powers and, accordingly, great opportunities for abuse, the number of which grew with increasing pressure from the nobility. Most often, violations consisted of falsification of election results: the necessary names were included in the returned text of royal orders, and legally elected deputies did not get into parliament.

The House of Commons consistently, although not very successfully, fought against this evil. She initiated the adoption of statutes against electoral violations. The measures proposed were quite brutal. So, according to the statute of 1445. the sheriff had to pay a large fine for each violation: one hundred pounds to the treasury and the same amount to the victim, i.e. a person whose name was not included in the list of chosen ones. By comparison, the annual income from real estate that gave admission to the knighthood was only forty pounds. However, repeated proposals by the House of Commons to put a limit on the abuses of sheriffs did not meet with the support of the monarchs.

According to researchers, all English cities that had the right to parliamentary representation can be divided into four groups, depending on their position in the county.

The lowest category included small towns that did not elect their own deputies, but sent delegates to the county assembly. London had a complex of administrative, judicial, trade and other privileges and sent four deputies to parliament.

The fact that the city has parliamentary status was indicated by the royal order to the sheriff on the election of deputies for the next session. A city could receive an election mandate even if it was in decline. In the first decades of the existence of parliament, there were often cases of cities refusing to send their representatives - due to the need to collect money for the salaries of deputies, to take them away from important matters, etc.

The participation of city representatives in parliament required small but real expenses from the municipal treasury.

However, most cities in the 14th century. changed their attitude towards participation in parliamentary activities. She became more and more attractive in the eyes of the townspeople. If at the end of the 13th century. About 60 cities were represented in parliament, then in the mid-15th century. - already more than a hundred. In 1377 About 130 thousand voters lived in 70 cities in England, i.e. an order of magnitude more than in the counties. The number of city deputies could also significantly exceed the number of county knights.

Unlike other class-representative institutions in Western Europe, in the English Parliament representatives of cities did not form a separate chamber. In parliamentary documents, deputies of the House of Commons were designated as "knights of the shires and burgesses of the city and burghs."

At the same time, county representatives in parliament were in a much more advantageous position than townspeople. Elections in cities are rarely reflected in the statutes of the kingdom.

Functions of Parliament in England

At first, the ability of parliament to influence the policies of royal power was insignificant. Its functions were limited to determining the amount of taxes on movables and submitting collective petitions addressed to the king. True, in 1297, Edward I confirmed the Magna Carta in parliament, as a result of which the Statute of “Unauthorized Taxes” appeared. It stated that the imposition of taxes, benefits and extortions would not take place without the general consent of the clergy and secular magnates, knights, townspeople and other free people of the kingdom. However, the Statute contained reservations that allowed the king to levy pre-existing fees.

Gradually, the parliament of medieval England acquired three most important powers: the right to participate in the publication of laws, the right to decide on collections from the population in favor of the royal treasury, and the right to exercise control over senior officials and act in some cases as a special judicial body.

Of particular importance was the activity of parliament, or more precisely, its lower house, related to taxation. Let us note that taxes on movable and immovable property (like others) in England were paid by everyone, and not just the “third estate”. Since 1297, Parliament had the power to authorize direct taxes on movable property. Since the 20s XIV century he votes (authorizes) the collection of extraordinary taxes. Soon the House of Commons achieved the same right in relation to customs duties. Thus, the king received the bulk of financial revenues with the consent of the lower house, which acted on behalf of those who had to pay these taxes. Strong positions The House of Commons in such an important matter for the king as finance allowed her to expand her participation in other areas of parliamentary activity.

The communities have achieved significant success in the field of legislation. By the middle of the 14th century. in England there were two types of supreme legal acts. The king issued decrees - ordinances. Acts of parliament passed by both houses and the king also had the force of law. They were called statutes. The procedure for issuing a statute provided for the development of proposals from the lower house - a bill. The bill, approved by the lords, was then sent to the king for signature. Signed by the king, such a bill became a statute. Sometimes royal ordinances were based on proposals from the House of Commons. Already in the 15th century. no law in the kingdom could be passed without the approval of the House of Commons.

Parliament sought to influence the appointment and dismissal of the kingdom's top officials. In the XIV century. The practice of “impeachment” of officials accused of serious violations of the law, abuses and other unseemly acts is emerging. Parliament did not have the legal right to remove from power officials it disliked, but under the influence of its speeches the king was forced to remove from his posts persons with a damaged reputation.

Parliament acted as a body that legitimized the succession of kings on the English throne. Thus, the deposition of Edward II (1327), Richard II (1399) and the subsequent coronation of Henry IV Lancastear were sanctioned by Parliament.

The judicial functions of parliament were very significant. They were within the competence of its upper house. By the end of the 14th century. she acquired the powers of the Court of Peers and the Supreme Court of the kingdom, which considered the most serious political and criminal crimes of the aristocracy, as well as appeals. The House of Commons could present its legislative proposals to improve judicial practice to the lords and the king.

As the highest court and legislative body, parliament accepted numerous petitions on a variety of issues, both from individuals and from cities, counties, trade and craft corporations, etc. The importance of parliamentary work with petitions is extremely great. It was a school of political and legal education, both for parliamentarians and for those who addressed them. The central government thus constantly received information about the state of affairs in the state. The most important issues raised in private and collective petitions were reflected in legislative drafts of the House of Commons, and then in statutes.

Conclusion

The emergence of class representation was of great importance in the process of growth of the centralized state.

With the establishment of Parliament in England, the new form feudal state - estate-representative, or estate, monarchy, which is the most important and natural stage in the political development of the country, the development of the feudal state.

The emergence of parliament and the class monarchy reflected the successes of the political centralization of England and, in particular, the fact of the formation of national class groups in the country - barons, knights and townspeople. In turn, the parliament, through its emergence, contributed to the further strengthening of the feudal state. Being an instrument of the ruling class, parliament still played a role in England in the 13th-14th centuries. a progressive role, since he limited the political claims of the most reactionary layer of feudal lords - the barony - and directed the king's policies in the interests of the more advanced strata of society of that time - the knighthood and the elite of the townspeople. The admission of urban representatives to parliament meant the official recognition of certain rights and the increased importance of the urban class.

During the first centuries of the existence of parliament, the system of elections to the House of Commons was unified, although not fine-tuned in all details. The efforts of parliamentary legislators in this area were aimed mainly at combating the abuses of election administrators in counties and cities, as well as at preventing people of too low property and social status from participating in elections.

Thus, thanks to the creation of Parliament, in England, first of all, Medieval world the prerequisites have developed for the formation of a rule of law state (i.e. a state in which the rights and freedoms of citizens are ensured and their protection) and civil society (i.e. a society consisting of free, independent and equal people).

Development of the state and political system of Great Britain in the 18th-19th centuries. ultimately formed the most classic example of a parliamentary system. This parliamentarism provided England with stable reforms in various areas of social and political life, and the solution of many pressing economic and political, including foreign policy, problems in the interests of social peace. By the beginning of the 20th century. England represented the freest country in the political and legal sense, the most powerful state in the entire Western world, the center of a huge colonial empire, the existence of which also ensured political stability in the country.

List of sources and literature

1. General history of state and law / ed. prof. K.I. Batyr. - M.: Yurist, 2009.
2. A. A. Vasiliev. History of the ancient world/R. Y. Vipper. History of the Middle Ages/ - M.: Respublika, 2008.- 511 p.: ill.
3. P.N. Galanza History of state and law of foreign countries. Moscow 2010, 552s
4. A. S. Goldenweiser Social trends and reforms of the 19th century in England. - Kyiv, printing house of S. V. Kulzhenko, 2008
5. A. V. Dicey Fundamentals of public law in England: Trans. from English / Ed. P. G. Vinogradova. - St. Petersburg, 2009., 710 p.
6. V. F. Deryuzhinsky From the history of political freedom in England and France. - St. Petersburg, printing house of M. M. Stasyulevich, 2009
7. O. V. Dmitrieva, Parliament and parliamentary culture in England in the 16th - early 17th centuries. Special course program / O. V. Dmitrieva. - M.: Editorial URSS, 2001. - 12 p.
8. N. A. Krasheninnikova History of state and law of foreign countries: Textbook for universities: in 2 vols. - M.: Norma, 2007. - T. 2. - 816 p.
9. D. Petrushevsky Magna Carta. With an appendix of a translation of the text of the Magna Carta (3rd edition). - St. Petersburg,
10. V.A. Tomsinov (Compiler). Reader on the history of state and law of foreign countries (Antiquity and the Middle Ages).. - M., 2010.
11. M. Chernilovsky. General History of State and Law. - M.: Yurist, 2007.
12. E. Fishel The political system of England /. - St. Petersburg: Publication by bookseller-typographer M.O. Wolf, 1862. - 542. http://lib.mgppu.ru
13. V.V. Karaev, History of the Middle Ages/[ Electronic resource]/ Access mode http://society.polbu.ru/kareva_midhistory/ch21_ii.html
14. encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron /[Electronic resource]/ Access mode http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/brokgauz_efron/77384/Parliament
15. Official website of the UK Parliament/[Electronic resource]/ Access mode http://www.parliament.uk

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During the reign of Henry III (1216–1272) in England Parliament arose which made royal power limited. Henry III was a sovereign who loved flattery and generously rewarded it with positions and lands. The people closest to him were foreigners entering the royal service, numerous knights from France and quite big number clergy from Italy who were sent to England by the popes. I really did not like the whole behavior of the king and his foreign favorites the English nation, formed in the middle of the 13th century. from the merger of the Normans with the Anglo-Saxons. Prelates, barons, knights, and townspeople united in opposition against the king. Henry III convened several times conventions of prelates and barons(“big councils”), which for the most part sharply condemned his policies. The main role in this opposition was played by Simon Montfort, originally French (his father was a leader in crusade against the Albigenses), moved to England, where he received the title of Earl of Leicester and married the king's sister. Having quarreled with Henry III, this talented and energetic nobleman went over to the side of the English barons and even became their leader. First, the larger barons at the "great council" in Oxford(1258) forced the king to admit over himself guardianship of a special committee of 24 barons, but small barons and knights were dissatisfied with this oligarchic form of government and began to complain about its establishment. Henry III refused to fulfill this promise, but Simon Montfort went to war against him, took him prisoner and became the ruler of England. Distinguished by his great statesmanship, he saw, however, that the big barons alone would not be able to manage the country, and therefore convening V 1265 on behalf of the king, a “great council”, he invited not only prelates and barons, but also representatives of shires (counties) and cities(two representatives from each county and the most important cities). This was it first English parliament. By inviting the knighthood and townspeople to participate in the reign, Simon incurred the displeasure of the major barons. They went over to the side of the king, and the eldest son of Henry III (Edward) escaped from captivity and became the leader of the dissatisfied. Simon Montfort was defeated and killed in a battle with the royal army, but the measure he invented, i.e., convening to “great councils”, in addition to prelates and barons, also knighthood and townspeople, came into force, and Parliament in England has existed continuously for more than six centuries.

183. Structure of parliament

The English Parliament was divided into two houses: upper or house of peers(lords), and lower or house of commons. This division, which still exists today, was finally formed only in the middle of the 14th century, eighty years after the convening of the first parliament. Became members of the upper house bishops, abbots And major vassals of the king, each of whom sat in it by virtue of his personal right, and the title of secular lord began to pass by inheritance to the eldest son. The lower house was formed from elected representatives from both minor royal vassals and knights, i.e. vassals, and from the free population of counties and cities. In the counties (shares), representatives were elected at meetings that existed even earlier for various local affairs and for the court, and here it happened merger of small feudal lords with the rest of the free population. The House of Commons has become chamber of all classes, and in this way the English parliament from the very beginning began to differ from other similar assemblies that arose around the same time in different states of the West, where each estate sat separately. (And in the upper house the highest clergy and the highest nobility sat together).

Parliament is a common electoral body in any democratic country. It can be called differently. IN Russian Federation this is the Duma, in Israel - the Knesset, in Germany - the Bundestag. The history of the emergence of this authority took place in different countries according to the same historical laws. Using the example of the British government, we will try to tell where and when parliament appeared in England.

Prerequisites for the occurrence

The opportunity to trace the origins of the electoral system on the British Peninsula can be traced to the moment of the retreat of the Roman legionaries from these places. The stages of formation of statehood were very slow, and royal power was weak. The development of cities led to the birth of a new class - the bourgeoisie, which is trying to defend its interests along with large landowners at the state level.

In the chronicles of some English counties evidence was presented that the sheriffs of these places sent noble knights to advise the kings regarding taxation and other matters. financial issues. The kings, naturally, did not need the thoughts of the knights and townspeople on this matter, but required complete agreement with the opinion of the crown. But the opinion of his subjects still had to be taken into account. It was under these conditions that representative assemblies arose in Western Europe, which had a restraining effect on the appetites of their monarchs - Estates General France, the German Reichstag and the English Parliament. The history of Britain connects the emergence of this institution of power with the name of one of the most influential persons of that time - Simon de Montfort.

Royal ambitions

Aggravation between three ruling classes England reached its peak at the beginning of the 13th century. The power of the barons was recognized as the head of England by the son of King John Henry III. He was a weak and cowardly monarch who was always under someone else's influence. By giving away lands and wealth to foreigners, he caused indignation among all segments of the population. In addition, for the sake of the ambitions of his own family, Henry was going to get involved in the war for the Sicilian crown, which he needed for his son. To wage the war, he demanded a third of all the country's income.

The first parliament in England had not been created by that time, so no one could provide firm and reasonable resistance to the king. Passages from the chronicles of the time say that the barons were so outraged by the exorbitant appetites of their own king that their “ears were ringing.” It was necessary to take decisive measures.

The answer to the question of where and when parliament appeared in England can be found in medieval chronicles, which for the most part gather dust in the archives of public libraries. In them you can find references to an event that took place in Oxford in 1258. Then the barons, outraged by the arbitrariness of their monarch, assembled a royal council in this city. It went down in history under the name “Mad (Frantic) Council.” According to the decision of the barons, the power of foreigners in the country was limited, ownership of lands and castles passed to the English nobles, and the king had to coordinate all important matters with large landowners.

Knight and revolutionary

Having achieved concessions from the king, the barons did not even think about taking care of ordinary knights and the bourgeoisie. Protests broke out across the country. The most radical wing of the rebels was led by Simon de Montfort. At first, the king's army was defeated, and the monarch himself and his son Edward were captured. Montfort entered London and began to rule England.

Representative meetings

Montfort understood that his power, not supported by any rights, was extremely fragile. In order to rule the country in his position, it was necessary to enlist the support of wide sections of society. Montfort's decision already answers the question for what purpose the parliament was created in England. This is, first of all, support from society, receiving regular financial injections, and strengthening royal power locally.

In 1265, a meeting of the three property classes of medieval England was convened in London. Ecclesiastical and secular magnates, as well as representatives of chivalry and the urban bourgeoisie, were invited to it. The language of communication of noble gentlemen then, as many years later, was French, and only peasants and artisans used English vernacular speech. Therefore, the parliament was named in the French manner. The root of this word is the French "parleu", which means "to speak".

The end of Montfort

Most invaders do not enjoy the benefits of their victories for long. So Montfort quickly lost power and was killed in the fight against supporters of Prince Edward. The king's power was restored, and a lesson was learned from what happened.

The elected assembly remained a government body even after Montfort. But where and when parliament appeared in England after these events is a completely different story.

London and parliament

The nobility and royal authorities were convinced by their own example that it would not be easy to govern England without the support of knights and townspeople. Even after Montfort's death, the parliament lived and performed certain functions. For example, in order to avoid new popular unrest, in 1297 King Edward signed a decree according to which no tax could be introduced in the kingdom without the approval of parliament.

The latter was built on the principles of compliance with the terms of contracts - thereby laying the principles of modern justice. Transparent terms of the transaction between state power and the royal subjects guaranteed that compliance with the agreements would be beneficial to both sides. Only the form of the elected assembly has changed somewhat since then.

How was parliament structured in England?

As a permanent body of government, parliament in England in the Middle Ages functioned fully since 1265. Representatives of the titled nobility and the upper clergy received personalized documents that allowed them to take part in the work of parliament, and for ordinary knights and townspeople there was a general invitation.

How the parliament was structured in England can be seen in the modern British government - after all, for 900 years, practically nothing has changed in the structure of this government body. The entire parliament is divided into two large chambers. The first - the House of Lords - includes the descendants of the very barons who participated in the “Mad Council”. These are representatives of the titled nobility and spiritual nobility. In the 14th century, the clergy left the meetings of Parliament, but later returned to its ranks. The lower house - the House of Commons - is occupied by the heirs of those to whom “general invitations” were sent in ancient times. These are the descendants of knights and wealthy townspeople. Currently, representatives include deputies from the local nobility, whom local society has entrusted to represent their interests in the capital.

The ability to directly control power gave impetus to the development of local self-government - local assemblies were created in various counties, and city interests were defended in councils.

We hope that from this article it will become clear where and when parliament appeared in England. We looked in detail at the impact that the electoral system of self-government had on English kings in the Middle Ages.

The British Parliament is the oldest in the world. It originated in the 12th century as Witenagemot, the body of wise counselors whom the King needed to consult pursuing his policy. The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and the Queen as its head. The House of Commons plays the major role in law-making. It consists of Members of Parliament (called MPs for short). Each of them represents an area in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. MPs are elected either at a general election or at a by-election following the death or retirement. Parliamentary elections are held every 5 years and it is the Prime Minister who decides on the exact day of the election. The minimum voting age is 18. And the voting is taken by secret ballot. The election campaign lasts about 3 weeks, The British parliamentary system depends on political parties.

The party which wins the majority of seats forms the government and its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses about 20 MPs from his party to become the cabinet of ministers. Each minister is responsible for a particular area in the government. The second largest party becomes the official opposition with its own leader and "shadow cabinet". The leader of the opposition is a recognized post in the House of Commons.
The parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government and they only meet together on symbolic occasions, such as coronation of a new monarch or the opening of the parliament.

In reality, the House of Commons is the one of three which has true power. The House of Commons is made up of six hundred and fifty elected members, it is presided over by the speaker, a member acceptable to the whole house. MPs sit on two sides of the hall, one side for the governing party and the other for the opposition. The first 2 rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of both parties (called "front benches") The back benches belong to the rank-and-life MPs. Each session of the House of Commons lasts for 160-175 days. Parliament has intervals during his work. MPs are paid for their parliamentary work and have to attend the sittings. As it was mentioned above, the House of Commons plays the major role in law making. The procedure is the following: a proposed law ("a bill") has to go through three stages in order to become an act of parliament; these are called "readings".

The first reading is a formality and is simply the publication of the proposal. The second reading involves debate on the principles of the bill; it is examination by parliamentary committee. And the third reading is a report stage, when the work of the committee is reported on to the house. This is usually the most important stage in the process. When the bill passes through the House of Commons, it is sent to the House of Lords for discussion, when the Lords agree it, the bill is taken to the Queen for royal assistance, when the Queen sings the bill, it becomes act of the Parliament and the Law of the Land. The House of Lords has more than 1000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work in the house. Members of this Upper House are not elected, they sit there because of their rank, and the chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor. And he sits on a special seat, called "WoolSack" The members of the House of Lords debate the bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons.

The English Parliament was a specific class-representative body, unlike any representative institution in Europe. It took shape during civil wars 1263-1267 These wars were led, on the one hand, by the extremely strengthened royal power and, on the other, by the desire of the English barons to limit it. By the 13th century. The English barons became so strong economically that they felt the need for their own strong political positions. During the civil wars, the stability and balance of political forces characteristic of the English state were seriously undermined.

Civil wars of the 13th century. were already the second deep political crisis in the history of England. The first crisis occurred during the reign of the English king John the Landless(1199-1216), who began to catastrophically quickly lose English possessions in France. The barons took advantage of this situation to demand that the king grant them political rights and political independence. John the Landless was forced to meet them halfway, and in 1215 g. he provided the barons "Magna Carta"- the first constitution of the English feudal monarchy.

Even before the start of the civil wars, in 1258 the barons gathered at a congress in Oxford. This congress was called the “Mad Parliament”. The “Mad Parliament” developed a new constitution - "Oxford Provisions". This constitution established the regime of baronial oligarchy in the country. All power in England was transferred to the “Council of Fifteen Barons”, without the consent of which the king could not make any decisions. Thus, the “Mad Parliament”, without being a constitutionally formalized Parliament, already significantly limited the power of the king. In addition, the “Council of Fifteen Barons” created a commission to carry out political reforms in England. All these events served as a prelude to the creation of a constitutionally formalized English Parliament.

The first English Parliament was convened in 1265 g. It was attended by representatives of various social strata - secular and spiritual feudal lords, knights from counties and representatives from cities. After the end of the civil wars in 1267, Parliament was not abolished. By this time he was already firmly entrenched in the government system of England. From the end of the 13th century. The parliamentary constitutional system was finally established in England.

With the establishment of Parliament, the English feudal state took the form of an estate-representative monarchy.

At Edward I(1272-1307) Parliament was used by the king as a counterbalance to the claims of large feudal lords. Edward I tried to implement tax policy without Parliament. This brought the king into conflict with him, and the king was forced to pass a law called the "Confirmation of the Charter." The law confirmed the Magna Carta of 1215.

In the 14th century, in addition to the function of approving taxes, Parliament sought the right to issue laws - bills. Since 1343, the English Parliament has been formed as a bicameral one: the House of Lords, or peers, and the House of Commons. Large secular and spiritual feudal lords sat in the House of Lords, and knights and townspeople sat in the House of Commons. With each century, Parliament became more and more powerful. The number of the House of Commons was from the very beginning much larger than the House of Lords. The House of Commons acquires strong influence in Parliament - not so much due to numerical superiority, but due to the spirit of agreement that reigned there. An alliance of knights and townspeople early formed in the House of Commons.

With the development of commodity-money relations, with the emergence of elements of capitalism, in the House of Commons, the alliance of knighthood and townspeople became more and more strengthened, leading to a further strengthening of their political positions in Parliament and in the country.

The phenomenon of the English Parliament causes numerous disputes in English and domestic historiography. A number of historians argue that Parliament, from the moment of its inception, has never been a national representative body and has not been an exponent of the national interests of the country. The lower urban population and the peasantry have never been represented in Parliament.

The English Parliament, in its specific actions, expressed the interests of secular and spiritual feudal lords, supporting their anti-peasant policy. With the development of capitalism in England, Parliament adopted strict labor legislation.

Nevertheless, Parliament played a significant role political role in the history of England. It was he who, by limiting the power of the king, brought political stability and balance to the country at a new historical stage, which entailed stability in all areas of state life - the economy, social relations, culture, etc. By limiting the supreme power, Parliament contributed to centralization and strengthening of the centralized state. The organic binary system of authorities acting from a state position, Parliament - the king, was and remains the main reason for the stability and prosperity of modern England.