Difference between revisions of "Long Parliament" - New World Encyclopedia

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The '''Long Parliament''' is the name of the [[List of Parliaments of England|English Parliament]] called by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], on November 3 [[1640]], following the [[Bishops' Wars]]. It receives its name from the fact that by a unique Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members,<ref>[http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1.html#198 Full text of the Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent] [[11 May]] [[1641]]</ref> and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the [[English Civil War]] and at the end of [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]] in [[1660]].<ref name=dissolution>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=24957#s15 House of Commons Journal Volume 7: Dissolving Parliament]
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[[Image:Westminster Hall edited.jpg|thumb|upright|Westminster Hall in the early 19th century.  The oldest part of the Palace of Westminster which houses Parliament, it dates from 1097.  Charles I's impeachment took place in this Hall.]]
[[16 March]] 1660 ([[New Style]])</ref> It sat from 1640 until 1649, when it was purged by the [[New Model Army]] of those who were not sympathetic to the Army's concerns. Those members who remained after the Army's purge became known as the [[Rump Parliament]]. During [[the Protectorate]] the Rump was replaced by other Parliamentary assemblies, only to be recalled after  [[Oliver Cromwell|Oliver Cromwell's]] death in 1658 by the Army in the hope of restoring credibility to the Army's rule. When this failed, General [[George Monck]] allowed the members barred in 1649 to retake their seats so that they could pass the necessary legislation to initiate the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]] and dissolve the Long Parliament. This cleared the way for a new Parliament, known as the [[Convention Parliament]], to be elected.  
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The '''Long Parliament''' is the name of the [[List of Parliaments of England|English Parliament]] called by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], on November 3 1640, following the [[Bishops' Wars]]. It receives its name from the fact that by a unique Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members,<ref>Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent, 11 May 1641  [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1.html#198 Full text of the Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent] Retrieved November 2 2007</ref> and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the [[English Civil War]] and at the end of [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]] in 1660.<ref name=dissolution>"Dissolving Parliament," House of Commons Journal Volume 7: British History, 16 March 1660 ([[New Style]])  [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=24957#s15 Dissolving Parliament] Retrieved November 2 2007 </ref> It sat from 1640 until 1649, when it was purged by the [[New Model Army]] of those who were not sympathetic to the Army's concerns. Those members who remained after the Army's purge became known as the [[Rump Parliament]]. During [[the Protectorate]] the Rump was replaced by other Parliamentary assemblies, only to be recalled after  [[Oliver Cromwell|Oliver Cromwell's]] death in 1658 by the Army in the hope of restoring credibility to the Army's rule. When this failed, General [[George Monck]] allowed the members barred in 1649 to retake their seats so that they could pass the necessary legislation to initiate the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]] and dissolve the Long Parliament. This cleared the way for a new Parliament, known as the [[Convention Parliament]], to be elected. Monarchs traditionally convened Parliament to raise money but gradually Parliaments took over the function of governance as those whom they represented became increasingly reluctant to fund wars in which they had little or no interest.  The notion of the state as a community or commonwealth in which the ruled as well as the ruler had rights eventually resulted in the modern nation state in which the people are citizens, not subjects. Even in a constitutional monarch, which effectively applied to the United Kingdom after the English Civil War and the [[Glorious Revolution]], the office of monarch as Head of State remains hereditary but symbolic, lacking any political power.
  
 
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==1640&ndash;1648==
 
==1640&ndash;1648==
 
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[[Image:Carolus I.jpg|thumb|right|Charles I who convened the Long Parliament]]
The sole reason Charles I assembled Parliament was to ask it to pass finance bills, since the Bishops' Wars had bankrupted him.  
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The sole reason Charles I assembled Parliament was to ask it to pass finance bills, since the Bishops' Wars had bankrupted him. Fought between Scottish Calvinists and others in Scotland, including many aristocrats who did not want bishops and the English in 1638 and 1640, the wars determined the future shape of the established Church of Scotland as non-episcopal.  The Scots opposed bishops for both theological and political reasons, while the King saw them as essential for correct order arguing that bishops were essential in a monarchy - if society was a hierarchy, the church must be one too.  Advocating the 'divine right' to rule, he thought that a bishop-less Church undermined this claim.
 
   
 
   
The Parliament was initially influenced by [[John Pym]] and his supporters. In August [[1641]], it enacted legislation depriving Charles I of the powers that he had assumed since his accession. The reforms were designed to negate the possibility of Charles ruling absolutely again. The parliament also freed those imprisoned by the [[Star Chamber]]. A [[Triennial Act of 1641|Triennial Act]] was passed, requiring that no more than three years should elapse between sessions of Parliament and the [[Dissolution Act]] which required the Long Parliament's consent to its own dissolution. Parliament was also responsible for the impeachment and subsequent execution of the king's advisers, [[Archbishop]] [[William Laud]] and [[Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford]].
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The Parliament was initially influenced by [[John Pym]] and his supporters. In August 1641, it enacted legislation depriving Charles I of the powers that he had assumed since his accession. The reforms were designed to negate the possibility of Charles ruling absolutely again. The parliament also freed those imprisoned by the [[Star Chamber]]. A [[Triennial Act of 1641|Triennial Act]] was passed, requiring that no more than three years should elapse between sessions of Parliament and the [[Dissolution Act]] which required the Long Parliament's consent to its own dissolution. Parliament was also responsible for the impeachment and subsequent execution of the king's advisers, [[Archbishop]] [[William Laud]] and [[Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford]].
  
The [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|Irish Rebellion]] which started in October 1641 brought the control of the army back into the discussions between King and Parliament. Led by John Pym, Parliament presented the King with the [[Grand Remonstrance]] which was passed in the Commons by 11 votes (159 - 148) on  [[22 November]] [[1641]]. It listed over 150 perceived "misdeeds" of Charles' reign including the Church (under the influence of foreign papists) and  royal advisers (also "have[ing] engaged themselves to further the interests of some foreign powers") the second half of the Remonstrance proposed solutions to the "misdeeds" including church reform and Parliamentary influence over the appointment of royal ministers. December 1641 Parliament asserted that it wanted control over the appointment of the commanders of the Army and Navy in the [[Militia Bill]] . The king rejected the Grand Remonstrance and refused to give royal assent to the Militia Bill.
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The [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|Irish Rebellion]] which started in October 1641 brought the control of the army back into the discussions between King and Parliament. Led by John Pym, Parliament presented the King with the [[Grand Remonstrance]] which was passed in the Commons by 11 votes (159 - 148) on  22 November 1641. It listed over 150 perceived "misdeeds" of Charles' reign including the Church (under the influence of foreign papists) and  royal advisers (also "have[ing] engaged themselves to further the interests of some foreign powers") the second half of the Remonstrance proposed solutions to the "misdeeds" including church reform and Parliamentary influence over the appointment of royal ministers. December 1641 Parliament asserted that it wanted control over the appointment of the commanders of the Army and Navy in the [[Militia Bill]] . The king rejected the Grand Remonstrance and refused to give royal assent to the Militia Bill.
  
 
The King believed that [[Puritans]] (or ''[[Dissenter]]s'') encouraged by five vociferous members of the House of Commons, John Pym, [[John Hampden]], [[Denzil Holles]], Sir [[Arthur Haselrig]] and [[William Strode]] along with [[Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester|Lord Mandeville]] (the future Earl of Manchester) who sat in the House of Lords, had encouraged the Scots to invade England in the recent Bishops' Wars and that they were intent on turning the London mob against him. When rumours reached the court that they were also planning to impeach the Queen for alleged involvement in Catholic plots Charles decided to arrest them for treason.
 
The King believed that [[Puritans]] (or ''[[Dissenter]]s'') encouraged by five vociferous members of the House of Commons, John Pym, [[John Hampden]], [[Denzil Holles]], Sir [[Arthur Haselrig]] and [[William Strode]] along with [[Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester|Lord Mandeville]] (the future Earl of Manchester) who sat in the House of Lords, had encouraged the Scots to invade England in the recent Bishops' Wars and that they were intent on turning the London mob against him. When rumours reached the court that they were also planning to impeach the Queen for alleged involvement in Catholic plots Charles decided to arrest them for treason.
  
The [[Speaker of the British House of Commons|Speaker of the House]] during the Long Parliament was [[William Lenthall]]. On [[January 4]], [[1642]] the king entered the House of Commons to seize the five members. Having taken the speaker's chair and looked round in vain to discover the offending members commenting "''I see the birds have flown''", Charles turned to Lenthall standing below, and demanded of him whether any of those persons were in the House, whether he saw any of them and where they were. Lenthall fell on his knees and replied: "''May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here.''"<ref>By the time of the [[English Restoration|Restoration]] Lenthall seems to have forgotten his previous resolve when he consented to appear as a witness against the [[regicide]] [[Thomas Scot]], for words spoken in the House of Commons while he was the Speaker.</ref>
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The [[Speaker of the British House of Commons|Speaker of the House]] during the Long Parliament was [[William Lenthall]]. On January 4, 1642 the king entered the House of Commons to seize the five members. Having taken the speaker's chair and looked round in vain to discover the offending members commenting "''I see the birds have flown''," Charles turned to Lenthall standing below, and demanded of him whether any of those persons were in the House, whether he saw any of them and where they were. Lenthall fell on his knees and replied: "''May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here.''"<ref>By the time of the [[English Restoration|Restoration]] Lenthall seems to have forgotten his previous resolve when he consented to appear as a witness against the [[regicide]] [[Thomas Scot]], for words spoken in the House of Commons while he was the Speaker.</ref>
  
 
After his failure to capture five members and the fearing for his life Charles left London for Oxford. Most of the royalist members of Parliament left to join him there where they formed the [[Oxford Parliament (1644)|Oxford Parliament]]. Without its royalist members, the Long Parliament continued to sit during the [[English Civil War|Civil War]] and beyond because of the Dissolution Act.
 
After his failure to capture five members and the fearing for his life Charles left London for Oxford. Most of the royalist members of Parliament left to join him there where they formed the [[Oxford Parliament (1644)|Oxford Parliament]]. Without its royalist members, the Long Parliament continued to sit during the [[English Civil War|Civil War]] and beyond because of the Dissolution Act.
  
In March 1642 with the King absent from London and the war clouds gathering, Parliament decreed that its own [[Parliamentary Ordinance]]s were valid laws without royal assent. The [[Militia Ordinance]] was passed on [[5 March]] by Parliament which gave Parliament control of the local militia called [[Trained Bands]]. Control of the London Trained Bands was the most strategically critical because they could protect the radical members of Parliament from armed intervention against them by any soldiers which Charles had near the capital. In response to the Militia Ordnance, Charles revived  the [[Commissions of Array]] as a means of summoning an army instead.
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In March 1642 with the King absent from London and the war clouds gathering, Parliament decreed that its own [[Parliamentary Ordinance]]s were valid laws without royal assent. The [[Militia Ordinance]] was passed on 5 March by Parliament which gave Parliament control of the local militia called [[Trained Bands]]. Control of the London Trained Bands was the most strategically critical because they could protect the radical members of Parliament from armed intervention against them by any soldiers which Charles had near the capital. In response to the Militia Ordnance, Charles revived  the [[Commissions of Array]] as a means of summoning an army instead.
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<!--This needs a section from April 1642 through [[6 December]] [[1648]]'' —>
 
 
===Time line===
 
===Time line===
* ''[[Triennial Act]]'', passed [[15 February]], [[1641]]
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* ''[[Triennial Act]]'', passed 15 February, 1641
* Archbishop William Laud imprisoned [[26 February]], [[1641]]
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* Archbishop William Laud imprisoned 26 February, 1641
* Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent [[11 May]], [[1641]]
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* Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent 11 May, 1641
* Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford  executed [[May 12]], [[1641]]
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* Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford  executed May 12, 1641
* [[Habeas Corpus Act 1640|Abolition  the Star Chamber]] [[5 July]], [[1641]]
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* [[Habeas Corpus Act 1640|Abolition  the Star Chamber]] 5 July, 1641
* ''Ship Money'' declared illegal [[7 August]], [[1641]]
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* ''Ship Money'' declared illegal 7 August, 1641
* Grand Remonstrance [[22 November]], [[1641]]
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* Grand Remonstrance 22 November, 1641
* ''Militia Bill'' December, [[1641]]
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* ''Militia Bill'' December, 1641
* The King’s answer to the petition accompanying the ''Grand Remonstrance'' [[23 December]], [[1641]]
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* The King’s answer to the petition accompanying the ''Grand Remonstrance'' 23 December, 1641
* The King's attempt to seize the five members [[4 January]], [[1642]]
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* The King's attempt to seize the five members 4 January, 1642
* The King and Royal Family leave [[Whitehall]] for [[Hampton Court]]. January, [[1642]]
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* The King and Royal Family leave [[Whitehall]] for [[Hampton Court]]. January, 1642
* The King leaves Hampton Court for the North [[2 March]] [[1642]]
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* The King leaves Hampton Court for the North 2 March 1642
* ''[[Militia Ordinance]]'' agreed by Lords and Commons [[5 March]], [[1642]]
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* ''[[Militia Ordinance]]'' agreed by Lords and Commons 5 March, 1642
* Parliament decreed that ''Parliamentary Ordinances'' were valid without royal assent following the King's refusal to assent to the Militia Ordinance [[15 March]], [[1642]]
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* Parliament decreed that ''Parliamentary Ordinances'' were valid without royal assent following the King's refusal to assent to the Militia Ordinance 15 March, 1642
* [[Adventurers Act]] to raise money to suppress the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641]] [[19 March]] [[1642]]
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* [[Adventurers Act]] to raise money to suppress the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641]] 19 March 1642
* [[The Solemn League and Covenant]] [[25 September]], [[1643]]
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* [[The Solemn League and Covenant]] 25 September, 1643
* Ordinance appointing the First Committee of both Kingdoms [[16 February]], [[1644]]
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* Ordinance appointing the First Committee of both Kingdoms 16 February, 1644
* The [[Self-denying Ordinance]] [[4 April]], [[1645]]
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* The [[Self-denying Ordinance]] 4 April, 1645
* Pride's Purge  [[December 7]], [[*1648*]]
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* Pride's Purge  December 7, [[*1648*]]
  
 
==1649&ndash;1653 Rump Parliament==
 
==1649&ndash;1653 Rump Parliament==
:''Main article'' [[Rump Parliament]]
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[[Image:Palace of Westminster, London - Feb 2007.jpg|280px|The Palace of Westminster at dusk, showing the Victoria Tower (left) and the Clock Tower colloquially known as 'Big Ben', lies on the bank of the [[River Thames]] in the heart of [[London]].  Although most of the Palace dates from the nineteenth century, is has become a symbol of the Mother of Parliaments and of democratic government.]]
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Divisions emerged between various factions, culminating in [[Pride's Purge]] on December 7, 1648, when, under the orders of [[Oliver Cromwell]], [[Thomas Pride|Colonel Pride]] physically barred about half of the members of Parliament from taking their seats. Many of the excluded members were [[Presbyterian]]s.  In the wake of the ejections, the  remnant, the ''Rump Parliament'', arranged for the trial and execution of Charles I.  It was also responsible for the setting up of the [[Commonwealth of England]] in 1649.
  
Divisions emerged between various factions, culminating in [[Pride's Purge]] on [[December 7]], [[1648]], when, under the orders of [[Oliver Cromwell]], [[Thomas Pride|Colonel Pride]] physically barred about half of the members of Parliament from taking their seats. Many of the excluded members were [[Presbyterian]]s.  In the wake of the ejections, the  remnant, the ''Rump Parliament'', arranged for the trial and execution of Charles I.  It was also responsible for the setting up of the [[Commonwealth of England]] in [[1649]].
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Oliver Cromwell forcibly disbanded the Rump in 1653 when it seemed they might disband his expensive army of 50,000 men. It was followed by the [[Barebones Parliament]] and then the [[First Protectorate Parliament|First]], [[Second Protectorate Parliament|Second]] and [[Third Protectorate Parliament]]
 
 
Oliver Cromwell forcibly disbanded the Rump in [[1653]] when it seemed they might disband his expensive army of 50,000 men. It was followed by the [[Barebones Parliament]] and then the [[First Protectorate Parliament|First]], [[Second Protectorate Parliament|Second]] and [[Third Protectorate Parliament]]
 
  
 
==1659 recall and 1660 restoration==
 
==1659 recall and 1660 restoration==
After [[Richard Cromwell]], who had succeeded his father [[Oliver Cromwell|Oliver]] as [[Lord Protector]] in [[1658]], was effectively deposed by an officers' [[coup d'état|coup]] in April, [[1659]], the officers re-summoned the Rump Parliament to sit.  It convened on [[7 May]] [[1659]] ([[Old Style|OS]]), but after five months in power it again clashed with the army (led by [[John Lambert]]) and was again forcibly dissolved on [[13 October]] 1659.  Rule then passed to an unelected ''Committee of Safety'', including Lambert; but as General [[George Monck]], who had been Cromwell's viceroy in Scotland, began to march south, Lambert, who had ridden out to face him, lost support in London, the Navy declared for Parliament, and on [[26 December]] 1659 the Rump was restored to power.
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After [[Richard Cromwell]], who had succeeded his father [[Oliver Cromwell|Oliver]] as [[Lord Protector]] in 1658, was effectively deposed by an officers' [[coup d'état|coup]] in April, 1659, the officers re-summoned the Rump Parliament to sit.  It convened on 7 May 1659 ([[Old Style|OS]]), but after five months in power it again clashed with the army (led by [[John Lambert]]) and was again forcibly dissolved on 13 October 1659.  Rule then passed to an unelected ''Committee of Safety'', including Lambert; but as General [[George Monck]], who had been Cromwell's viceroy in Scotland, began to march south, Lambert, who had ridden out to face him, lost support in London, the Navy declared for Parliament, and on 26 December 1659 the Rump was restored to power.
  
Monck, whom Lambert had failed to confront, continued his southward march.  On [[3 February]] [[1660]], Monck arrived in London.  After an initial show of deference to the Rump, Monck quickly found them unwilling to cooperate with his plan for a free election of a new parliament; so on [[February 21]] [[1660]] he reinstated the members 'secluded' by Pride, so that they could prepare legislation for the [[Convention Parliament]].  Having called for elections for a Parliament to meet on [[25 April]], the Long Parliament dissolved itself on [[March 16]], [[1660]].<ref name=dissolution/><ref>According to contemporary royalist legal theory, the Long Parliament was regarded as having been automatically dissolved form the moment of [[Charles I of England|Charles I's]] execution on [[30 January]] 1649 ([[New Style]]). This view was confirmed by a court ruling during the treason trial of [[Henry Vane the Younger]].</ref>
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Monck, whom Lambert had failed to confront, continued his southward march.  On 3 February 1660, Monck arrived in London.  After an initial show of deference to the Rump, Monck quickly found them unwilling to cooperate with his plan for a free election of a new parliament; so on February 21 1660 he reinstated the members 'secluded' by Pride, so that they could prepare legislation for the [[Convention Parliament]].  Having called for elections for a Parliament to meet on 25 April, the Long Parliament dissolved itself on March 16, 1660.<ref name=dissolution/><ref>According to contemporary royalist legal theory, the Long Parliament was regarded as having been automatically dissolved form the moment of [[Charles I of England|Charles I's]] execution on 30 January 1649 ([[New Style]]). This view was confirmed by a court ruling during the treason trial of [[Henry Vane the Younger]].</ref>
  
 
==Succession==
 
==Succession==
Line 81: Line 78:
  
  
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==Notes==
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<references/>
  
 +
==References==
 +
===Books===
 +
*Hobbes, Thomas, Ferdinand Tönnies, and Stephen Holmes. 1990. ''Behemoth; or, The long Parliament''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226345444
 +
*Keeler, Mary Frear. 1954. ''The Long Parliament, 1640-1641; a biographical study of its members.'' Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, v. 36. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
 +
*MacCormack, John R. 1973. ''Revolutionary politics in the Long Parliament.'' Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674767751
 +
*Trevor-Roper, H. R. 1968. ''The crisis of the seventeenth century; religion, the Reformation, and social change''. New York: Harper & Row, ISBN 9780865972742
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===Internet Resources===
 
==Further Reading==
 
==Further Reading==
* [http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/long-parliament.htm British Civil Wars: The Long Parliament] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/long-parliament.htm British Civil Wars: The Long Parliament] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/timelines/1641.htm British Civil Wars: 1641 Time Line]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/timelines/1641.htm British Civil Wars: 1641 Time Line] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/timelines/1642.htm British Civil Wars: 1642 Time Line]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/timelines/1642.htm British Civil Wars: 1642 Time Line] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://www.constitution.org/eng/conpur027.htm Full text of The Triennial Act. [[15 February]] [[1641]]]
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* [http://www.constitution.org/eng/conpur027.htm Full text of The Triennial Act. 15 February 1641]
* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1.html#198 Full text of the Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent] [[11 May]] [[1641]]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1.html#198 Full text of the Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent] 11 May 1641. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/organic/1641-asc.htm  Full text of the act Abolishing the Star Chamber [[5 July]] [[1641]]]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/organic/1641-asc.htm  Full text of the act Abolishing the Star Chamber 5 July 1641] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#201 Full text of the Act Declaring the Illegality of Ship-money [[7 August]] Retrieved October 29, 2007.[[1641]]]
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* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#201 Full text of the Act Declaring the Illegality of Ship-money 7 August 1641] Retrieved October 29, 2007
* [http://www.constitution.org/eng/conpur043.htm Full Text of the Grand Remonstrance, with the Petition accompanying it. [[22 November]] [[1641]]]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://www.constitution.org/eng/conpur043.htm Full Text of the Grand Remonstrance, with the Petition accompanying it. 22 November 1641] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#205 Full text of the King’s Answer to the Petition Accompanying the Grand Remonstrance [[23 December]] [[1641]]]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#205 Full text of the King’s Answer to the Petition Accompanying the Grand Remonstrance 23 December 1641] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#207 Full text of The Solemn League and Covenant [[25 September]] [[1643]]]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#207 Full text of The Solemn League and Covenant 25 September 1643] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#208 Full text of the Ordinance appointing the First Committee of both Kingdoms [[16 February]] [[1644]]]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#208 Full text of the Ordinance appointing the First Committee of both Kingdoms 16 February 1644] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#209T Full text of the Self-denying Ordinance [[4 April]] [[1645]]]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
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* [http://home.freeuk.net/don-aitken/ast/c1b.html#209T Full text of the Self-denying Ordinance 4 April 1645] Retrieved October 29, 2007.
 
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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*[http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/concepts_long_parliament.html Long Parliament, 3 November 1640-1660(History of War)]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
 
*[http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/concepts_long_parliament.html Long Parliament, 3 November 1640-1660(History of War)]Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  
==References==
 
*Hobbes, Thomas, Ferdinand Tönnies, and Stephen Holmes. 1990. Behemoth; or, The long Parliament. Chicago: University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226345444
 
*Keeler, Mary Frear. 1954. ''The Long Parliament, 1640-1641; a biographical study of its members.'' Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, v. 36. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
 
*MacCormack, John R. 1973. ''Revolutionary politics in the Long Parliament.'' Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674767751
 
*Trevor-Roper, H. R. 1968. ''The crisis of the seventeenth century; religion, the Reformation, and social change''. New York: Harper & Row
 
 
==Footnotes==
 
<references/>
 
  
 
[[Category:History]]
 
[[Category:History]]
  
 
{{credit|89636061}}
 
{{credit|89636061}}

Revision as of 21:42, 2 November 2007

Westminster Hall in the early 19th century. The oldest part of the Palace of Westminster which houses Parliament, it dates from 1097. Charles I's impeachment took place in this Hall.

The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, on November 3 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It receives its name from the fact that by a unique Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members,[1] and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and at the end of Interregnum in 1660.[2] It sat from 1640 until 1649, when it was purged by the New Model Army of those who were not sympathetic to the Army's concerns. Those members who remained after the Army's purge became known as the Rump Parliament. During the Protectorate the Rump was replaced by other Parliamentary assemblies, only to be recalled after Oliver Cromwell's death in 1658 by the Army in the hope of restoring credibility to the Army's rule. When this failed, General George Monck allowed the members barred in 1649 to retake their seats so that they could pass the necessary legislation to initiate the Restoration and dissolve the Long Parliament. This cleared the way for a new Parliament, known as the Convention Parliament, to be elected. Monarchs traditionally convened Parliament to raise money but gradually Parliaments took over the function of governance as those whom they represented became increasingly reluctant to fund wars in which they had little or no interest. The notion of the state as a community or commonwealth in which the ruled as well as the ruler had rights eventually resulted in the modern nation state in which the people are citizens, not subjects. Even in a constitutional monarch, which effectively applied to the United Kingdom after the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution, the office of monarch as Head of State remains hereditary but symbolic, lacking any political power.

1640–1648

Charles I who convened the Long Parliament

The sole reason Charles I assembled Parliament was to ask it to pass finance bills, since the Bishops' Wars had bankrupted him. Fought between Scottish Calvinists and others in Scotland, including many aristocrats who did not want bishops and the English in 1638 and 1640, the wars determined the future shape of the established Church of Scotland as non-episcopal. The Scots opposed bishops for both theological and political reasons, while the King saw them as essential for correct order arguing that bishops were essential in a monarchy - if society was a hierarchy, the church must be one too. Advocating the 'divine right' to rule, he thought that a bishop-less Church undermined this claim.

The Parliament was initially influenced by John Pym and his supporters. In August 1641, it enacted legislation depriving Charles I of the powers that he had assumed since his accession. The reforms were designed to negate the possibility of Charles ruling absolutely again. The parliament also freed those imprisoned by the Star Chamber. A Triennial Act was passed, requiring that no more than three years should elapse between sessions of Parliament and the Dissolution Act which required the Long Parliament's consent to its own dissolution. Parliament was also responsible for the impeachment and subsequent execution of the king's advisers, Archbishop William Laud and Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford.

The Irish Rebellion which started in October 1641 brought the control of the army back into the discussions between King and Parliament. Led by John Pym, Parliament presented the King with the Grand Remonstrance which was passed in the Commons by 11 votes (159 - 148) on 22 November 1641. It listed over 150 perceived "misdeeds" of Charles' reign including the Church (under the influence of foreign papists) and royal advisers (also "have[ing] engaged themselves to further the interests of some foreign powers") the second half of the Remonstrance proposed solutions to the "misdeeds" including church reform and Parliamentary influence over the appointment of royal ministers. December 1641 Parliament asserted that it wanted control over the appointment of the commanders of the Army and Navy in the Militia Bill . The king rejected the Grand Remonstrance and refused to give royal assent to the Militia Bill.

The King believed that Puritans (or Dissenters) encouraged by five vociferous members of the House of Commons, John Pym, John Hampden, Denzil Holles, Sir Arthur Haselrig and William Strode along with Lord Mandeville (the future Earl of Manchester) who sat in the House of Lords, had encouraged the Scots to invade England in the recent Bishops' Wars and that they were intent on turning the London mob against him. When rumours reached the court that they were also planning to impeach the Queen for alleged involvement in Catholic plots Charles decided to arrest them for treason.

The Speaker of the House during the Long Parliament was William Lenthall. On January 4, 1642 the king entered the House of Commons to seize the five members. Having taken the speaker's chair and looked round in vain to discover the offending members commenting "I see the birds have flown," Charles turned to Lenthall standing below, and demanded of him whether any of those persons were in the House, whether he saw any of them and where they were. Lenthall fell on his knees and replied: "May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here."[3]

After his failure to capture five members and the fearing for his life Charles left London for Oxford. Most of the royalist members of Parliament left to join him there where they formed the Oxford Parliament. Without its royalist members, the Long Parliament continued to sit during the Civil War and beyond because of the Dissolution Act.

In March 1642 with the King absent from London and the war clouds gathering, Parliament decreed that its own Parliamentary Ordinances were valid laws without royal assent. The Militia Ordinance was passed on 5 March by Parliament which gave Parliament control of the local militia called Trained Bands. Control of the London Trained Bands was the most strategically critical because they could protect the radical members of Parliament from armed intervention against them by any soldiers which Charles had near the capital. In response to the Militia Ordnance, Charles revived the Commissions of Array as a means of summoning an army instead.


Time line

  • Triennial Act, passed 15 February, 1641
  • Archbishop William Laud imprisoned 26 February, 1641
  • Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent 11 May, 1641
  • Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford executed May 12, 1641
  • Abolition the Star Chamber 5 July, 1641
  • Ship Money declared illegal 7 August, 1641
  • Grand Remonstrance 22 November, 1641
  • Militia Bill December, 1641
  • The King’s answer to the petition accompanying the Grand Remonstrance 23 December, 1641
  • The King's attempt to seize the five members 4 January, 1642
  • The King and Royal Family leave Whitehall for Hampton Court. January, 1642
  • The King leaves Hampton Court for the North 2 March 1642
  • Militia Ordinance agreed by Lords and Commons 5 March, 1642
  • Parliament decreed that Parliamentary Ordinances were valid without royal assent following the King's refusal to assent to the Militia Ordinance 15 March, 1642
  • Adventurers Act to raise money to suppress the Irish Rebellion of 1641 19 March 1642
  • The Solemn League and Covenant 25 September, 1643
  • Ordinance appointing the First Committee of both Kingdoms 16 February, 1644
  • The Self-denying Ordinance 4 April, 1645
  • Pride's Purge December 7, *1648*

1649–1653 Rump Parliament

The Palace of Westminster at dusk, showing the Victoria Tower (left) and the Clock Tower colloquially known as 'Big Ben', lies on the bank of the River Thames in the heart of London. Although most of the Palace dates from the nineteenth century, is has become a symbol of the Mother of Parliaments and of democratic government. Divisions emerged between various factions, culminating in Pride's Purge on December 7, 1648, when, under the orders of Oliver Cromwell, Colonel Pride physically barred about half of the members of Parliament from taking their seats. Many of the excluded members were Presbyterians. In the wake of the ejections, the remnant, the Rump Parliament, arranged for the trial and execution of Charles I. It was also responsible for the setting up of the Commonwealth of England in 1649.

Oliver Cromwell forcibly disbanded the Rump in 1653 when it seemed they might disband his expensive army of 50,000 men. It was followed by the Barebones Parliament and then the First, Second and Third Protectorate Parliament

1659 recall and 1660 restoration

After Richard Cromwell, who had succeeded his father Oliver as Lord Protector in 1658, was effectively deposed by an officers' coup in April, 1659, the officers re-summoned the Rump Parliament to sit. It convened on 7 May 1659 (OS), but after five months in power it again clashed with the army (led by John Lambert) and was again forcibly dissolved on 13 October 1659. Rule then passed to an unelected Committee of Safety, including Lambert; but as General George Monck, who had been Cromwell's viceroy in Scotland, began to march south, Lambert, who had ridden out to face him, lost support in London, the Navy declared for Parliament, and on 26 December 1659 the Rump was restored to power.

Monck, whom Lambert had failed to confront, continued his southward march. On 3 February 1660, Monck arrived in London. After an initial show of deference to the Rump, Monck quickly found them unwilling to cooperate with his plan for a free election of a new parliament; so on February 21 1660 he reinstated the members 'secluded' by Pride, so that they could prepare legislation for the Convention Parliament. Having called for elections for a Parliament to meet on 25 April, the Long Parliament dissolved itself on March 16, 1660.[2][4]

Succession

The Long Parliament was preceded by the Short Parliament. It was purged by Pride to become the Rump Parliament, dissolved by Cromwell, restored (as the Rump) twice in 1659, restored to its pre-purge state by Monck, and succeeded by the Convention Parliament.

Notable members of the Long Parliament

  • Sir John Coolepeper
  • Oliver Cromwell
  • Sir Simonds D'Ewes
  • George Digby
  • Lucius Carey, 2nd Viscount Falkland
  • John Hampden
  • Robert Harley
  • Sir Arthur Haselrig
  • Denzil Holles
  • Edward Hyde
  • William Lenthall
  • John Pym
  • Sir Benjamin Rudyerd
  • William Russell, Lord Russell
  • Oliver St John
  • Sir Francis Seymour
  • William Strode
  • James Temple
  • Sir Henry Vane the Younger
  • Sir Nicholas Crisp


Notes

  1. Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent, 11 May 1641 Full text of the Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent Retrieved November 2 2007
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Dissolving Parliament," House of Commons Journal Volume 7: British History, 16 March 1660 (New Style) Dissolving Parliament Retrieved November 2 2007
  3. By the time of the Restoration Lenthall seems to have forgotten his previous resolve when he consented to appear as a witness against the regicide Thomas Scot, for words spoken in the House of Commons while he was the Speaker.
  4. According to contemporary royalist legal theory, the Long Parliament was regarded as having been automatically dissolved form the moment of Charles I's execution on 30 January 1649 (New Style). This view was confirmed by a court ruling during the treason trial of Henry Vane the Younger.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Books

  • Hobbes, Thomas, Ferdinand Tönnies, and Stephen Holmes. 1990. Behemoth; or, The long Parliament. Chicago: University of Chicago Press ISBN 9780226345444
  • Keeler, Mary Frear. 1954. The Long Parliament, 1640-1641; a biographical study of its members. Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, v. 36. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
  • MacCormack, John R. 1973. Revolutionary politics in the Long Parliament. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674767751
  • Trevor-Roper, H. R. 1968. The crisis of the seventeenth century; religion, the Reformation, and social change. New York: Harper & Row, ISBN 9780865972742

Internet Resources

Further Reading

External links

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