Role of Parliament before 1529
- Created by: emilieh
- Created on: 02-01-16 11:16
View mindmap
- Role of Parliament before 1529
- Power of Parliament
- Was an ancient medieval institution that gained important powers by the Tudor Period.
- Sole right to grant taxation
- Sole right to pass laws (Acts of Parliament)
- When a monarch needed taxation to supplement their income (usually for war or another emergency), it was usual for them to summon parliament
- Monarchs retained their right to veto any laws that they disliked, and could dismiss parliament at will.
- There were long periods of time within which parliament did not meet at all
- Parliament was also not involved in day-to-day government
- Most monarchs would call Parliament periodically
- Was an important opportunity to test the mood of the country & to communicate their policies to MPs and therefore to the localities
- Was an ancient medieval institution that gained important powers by the Tudor Period.
- Organisation of Parliament
- Parliament had two chambers
- House of Lords
- Unelected
- Hereditary peers & Bishops
- House of Commons
- Filled with elected MPs
- Two MPs elected to represent each county of England
- Some boroughs also had the right to send MPs to parliament
- To vote in a county, it was necessary to own property that brought in an income of at least 40 shillings per year.
- Meant that voting was restricted to those wealthy enough to own property.
- In many cases, MPs were often elected uncontested
- Was common for members of nobility to exercise patronage to ensure their clients were elected
- Parliament tended to represent the interests of the landed gentry and nobility
- To pass an Act of Parliament, a bill had to be heard in both the Commons and Lords before being given royal assent by a monarch
- Parliament was usually on the same side as the monarch
- This did not mean that it could always be relied upon to do what the monarch wanted
- As the years progressed, the Commons became more confident and needed careful managing
- This did not mean that it could always be relied upon to do what the monarch wanted
- Parliament was usually on the same side as the monarch
- House of Lords
- Parliament had two chambers
- Henry VIII's Parliaments
- Parliament met only seven times in a reign lasting 24 years under Henry VII
- This continued under Henry VIII, with Parliament meeting only 4 times between 1509 and 1529
- In 1510, 1512-14, 1515 and 1523
- This continued under Henry VIII, with Parliament meeting only 4 times between 1509 and 1529
- The role of parliament in this period was mainly to grant taxation to fund the King's wars
- When the wars were going well, it was relatively easy to persuade parliament to grant taxation for the defence of the realm
- By 1517, Henry's foreign policy had become costly and ineffective
- The burden of taxation increased, with little to show for it, parliament became less keen to grant increasing amounts of money
- Partly because as landowners, the MPs feared that too much taxation could lead to rebellion
- As members of local society, they were all aware of the amount of resistance to this.
- This led to Wolsey meeting stiff opposition from the Commons to extract the amount of taxation he needed in 1523
- By this time, £288,814 had been raised in taxation, without including the loans raised totalling £260,000
- Given this burden, it is not surprising that when Wolsey tried to persuade the MPs by addressing them personally, he was met with silence.
- Partly because as landowners, the MPs feared that too much taxation could lead to rebellion
- The burden of taxation increased, with little to show for it, parliament became less keen to grant increasing amounts of money
- Religious Matters in Parliament
- Parliament of 1512-1514 showed some anti-clerical feeling
- In 1512, it passed an Act to limit 'benefit of the clergy'
- This anti-clerical feeling re-emerged in 1515 parliament when it was exacerbated by the Hunne Affair
- A rich London merchant accused of heresy was found dead while in the Bishop of London's prison
- The Church claimed he had committed suicide, but murder was rumoured
- This anti-clerical feeling would later be exploited by Thomas Cromwell
- A rich London merchant accused of heresy was found dead while in the Bishop of London's prison
- Parliament of 1512-1514 showed some anti-clerical feeling
- Parliament met only seven times in a reign lasting 24 years under Henry VII
- Power of Parliament
Comments
No comments have yet been made