Duration of English parliaments before 1660

Origin of parliament

List of parliaments from 1241

Parliaments of King Henry III

• 7th: This Parliament was at Oxford. It is sometimes known as the Mad Parliament. Knights of the shire were the only commoners summoned. They were not required to be chosen by election. The date writs de expenses were issued is assumed to be the date of dissolution.
• The exact date when the Parliament assembled is unknown.
• The exact date when the Parliament was dissolved is unknown.
• 16th: Knights of the shire were the only commoners summoned. They were not required to be chosen by election.
• 17th: It is sometimes known as Montfort's Parliament. This is the first Parliament to which representatives of cities and boroughs were summoned, as well as knights of the shire. It is also the first Parliament to which the representatives were required to be chosen by election. The date writs de expenses were issued is assumed to be the date of dissolution.

  Parliaments of King Edward I

• 1st: For the first time since 1264-65 the representatives of the communities of the Realm are known to have been summoned to Parliament.
• 2nd: The knights of the shires only were summoned to this Parliament. Date of grant of supply is deemed to be the date of dissolution.
• The exact date when the Parliament assembled is unknown.
• 19th: Knights only summoned 13-14 June 1290. Assembled 23 April 1290 Lords and 15 July 1290 Commons. After this Parliament it became fairly usual for the representatives of the counties, cities and boroughs to be summoned to attend Parliament and from 1320 they were always included.
• This Parliament included Scottish members.
• 29th: Model Parliament summoned 30 September, 1 and 3 October 1295. This is the traditional start of the regular participation of the Commons in Parliament. Date of grant of supply is deemed to be the date of dissolution.
• Date of grant of supply is deemed to be the date of dissolution.
• 33rd: Summoned 30 September 1297 and 6 October 1297. Assembled 9 October 1297 Lords and 15 October 1297 Commons. Met in London. Date of grant of supply is deemed to be the date of dissolution.
• 34th: Met in York.
• 35th: Summoned 10, 11 and 13 April 1298.
• Date of issue of Writs de expensis is deemed to be the date of dissolution.
• 40th: Met in Lincoln. Dissolved 27-30 January 1301.
• 42nd: Summoned 14, 20 and 24 July 1303. Met in London. Date of issue of Writs de expensis deemed to be the date of dissolution.
• 45th: Assembled and dissolved 30 May 1306. Date of issue of Writs de expensis is deemed to be the date of dissolution.
• 46th: Met in Carlisle. Deemed dissolved when writs de expensis were issued 20 January 1307 and 19 March 1307.

  Parliaments of King Edward II

• The date writs de expenses were issued is assumed to be the date of dissolution.
• 8th: Met in London. The date writs de expenses were issued is assumed to be the date of dissolution.
• 15th: Met in Lincoln. The date writs de expenses were issued is assumed to be the date of dissolution.
• 15th: Met in York. The date writs de expenses were issued is assumed to be the date of dissolution.
• 24th: Only MPs for the Cinque Ports were summoned. Met in London. The date writs de expenses were issued is assumed to be the date of dissolution.
• 26th: This Parliament continued after the deposition of the King into the next reign. See 1st Parliament of King Edward III of England for further details and duration.

  Parliaments of King Edward III

• 1st: Continued from the last reign. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• Met at Lincoln. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• Met at York. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• 5th: May have met at New Sarum, York or Northampton, as it is uncertain which meeting was of this Parliament and which were gatherings of lesser status. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• Met at New Sarum. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• Met at Winchester. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• Met at Northampton. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.
• Met at Northampton.
• 46th: Known as the Good Parliament.
• 47th: Known as the Bad Parliament. Date of issue of writs de expensis deemed to be date of dissolution.

  Parliaments of King Richard II

• 14th: Known as the Wonderful Parliament.
• 15th: Known as the Merciless Parliament.

  Parliaments of King Henry IV

• 1st: Known as a Convention Parliament.

  Parliaments of King Henry V

• Known as the Fire and Faggot Parliament.
• Known as the Parliament of 1415.

  Parliaments of King Henry VI

• 4th: Known as the Parliament of Bats.
• 21st: Known as the Parliament of Devils.
• 23rd: This Parliament was held during a period when King Henry VI was restored to the throne. It ended when King Edward IV deposed Henry for the second time.

  Parliaments of King Edward IV

Parliament of King Richard III

Parliaments of King Henry VII

Parliaments of King Henry VIII

• 5th: Known as the Reformation Parliament.

  Parliaments of King Edward VI

Parliaments of Queen Mary I

Parliaments of Queen Elizabeth I

Parliaments of King James I

Parliaments of King Charles I

• Speakers of the Long Parliament : Lenthall 3 November 1640 – 26 July 1647; Pelham 30 July 1647 – 5 August 1647; Lenthall 6 August 1647 – 20 April 1653 and 26 December 1653 – 13 January 1660 ; Say 13 January 1660 – 21 January 1660 and Lenthall 21 January 1660 – 16 March 1660.

  The Long Parliament (Royalist phases)

• Phase 'a' of the Long Parliament was when it functioned as a conventional Parliament, requiring the assent of King Charles I to legislation. An unusual feature was that a law was enacted providing that this Parliament could not be lawfully dissolved without its own consent. This phase ended when the King raised his standard and commenced the English Civil War. The day before this event is the date inserted in the Dissolved column.
• Phase 'c' of the Long Parliament was the King's Oxford Parliament. The King was unable to lawfully dissolve the Long Parliament, without its consent, so he summoned the members to meet at Oxford. Royalists and those interested in trying to settle the Civil War by compromise attended the meetings, which were in opposition to the revolutionary body sitting concurrently at Westminster. The date of the first meeting is given in the Assembled column and of the last sitting in the Dissolved column.

  Parliaments of the Revolution and Commonwealth">Commonwealth of England">Commonwealth

• This was phase 'b' of the Long Parliament, when it functioned as a revolutionary Parliament, after the start of the English Civil War. Parliament assumed the power to legislate by Ordinance, without needing Royal assent. This phase ended with Pride's Purge, which converted the Long Parliament into the Rump Parliament. In 1644 the King summoned the Long Parliament to meet at Oxford. Those members who responded constituted the King's Oxford Parliament, in opposition to the revolutionary Parliament which continued to sit at the Palace of Westminster. The date in the Assembled column is the day when King Charles I raised his standard and commenced the English Civil War. The date in the Dissolved column is the day before Pride's Purge, when the full Long Parliament last met.
• This was phase 'd' of the Long Parliament, known as the Rump Parliament. During this period the Army only permitted selected members to continue to participate. The House of Lords was abolished as was the monarchy. Thereafter the Rump of the House of Commons was the only remaining element of Parliament. It legislated the Commonwealth of England into existence on 19 May 1649. The date of Pride's Purge is given in the Assembled column and the date when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump by force is in the Dissolved column.
• The Little or Barebones Parliament was an appointed body.

  Parliaments of the Protectorate

• This was phase 'e' of the Long Parliament. The Army restored the Rump Parliament, to liquidate the Protectorate and re-establish the Commonwealth regime.

  Parliaments of the Commonwealth">Commonwealth of England">Commonwealth

• This was phase 'f' of the Long Parliament, with the Rump Parliament running the restored Commonwealth regime.
• This was phase 'g' of the Long Parliament. Pride's Purge was reversed and the full Long Parliament made arrangements for a Convention Parliament and then dissolved itself.
• This was a Convention Parliament which restored the monarchy by recognising King Charles II as the rightful King.

  List of Parliaments: 1660 back to 1364

Parliaments 1504-1660

• CP - Parliament summoned by the Commonwealth or Protectorate regimes.
• This was the Convention Parliament, which restored the monarchy by recognising King Charles II of England as the lawful sovereign.
• This was the last phase of the Long Parliament, between the reversal of Pride's Purge and the final dissolution of the Parliament.
• This was a phase of the Long Parliament, between the restoration of the Rump and the reversal of Pride's Purge. On 13 October 1659 it ceased to be a Protectorate legislature. From 26 December 1659 it functioned as a Commonwealth legislature.
• This was the Third Protectorate Parliament.
• This was the Second Protectorate Parliament.
• This was the First Protectorate Parliament.
• This was the Little or Barebones Parliament, an appointed assembly not an elected Parliament.
• KC1 - Parliament summoned by King Charles I of England.
• This was the King's Oxford Parliament, held at Oxford in opposition to the Long Parliament sitting at Westminster. It consisted of Royalist members of the Long Parliament.
• This was the first phase of the Long Parliament. Under legislation enacted before the English Civil War this Parliament could not lawfully be dissolved without its consent. This phase of the Parliament was ended when Oliver Cromwell and his troops prevented the Parliament from continuing to sit. All phases of the Long Parliament and the King's Oxford Parliament, being sittings of all or part of the same body are given the same number in the No column.
• KJ1 - Parliament summoned by King James I of England.
• QE1 - Parliament summoned by Queen Elizabeth I of England.
• QM1 - Parliament summoned by Queen Mary I of England.
• KE6 - Parliament summoned by King Edward VI of England.
• KH8 - Parliament summoned by King Henry VIII of England.
• KH7 - Parliament summoned by King Henry VII of England.

  Parliaments 1400-1497

• KR3 - Parliament summoned by King Richard III of England.
• KE4 - Parliament summoned by King Edward IV of England.
• King Edward IV restored to the throne since the previous Parliament.
• KH6 - Parliament summoned by King Henry VI of England. KH6/23: King Henry VI restored to the throne since the previous Parliament. Parliament dissolved by the deposition of the monarch.
• Parliament dissolved by the deposition of the monarch.
• Date given for dismissal is the date when supply was granted.
• The actual date of dismissal was post circa the date given, so the duration is a minimum estimate.
• KH5 - Parliament summoned by King Henry V of England.
• KH4 - Parliament summoned by King Henry IV of England.
• Date given for dismissal is the date when writs 'de expensis' were issued.

  Parliaments to 1399