The Parliament of the Kingdom of England: the Relationship Between the Monarchy and the Parliament - Research Paper Example

Introduction United Kingdom is a sovereign democracy, with the Queen as head of the state. Norton has asserted that ‘parliament is the essential and definitive link between citizens and government’1 (Norton, 2000). The British Parliament consists of two houses which are called House of Commons and House of Lords. The House of Commons has elected representatives headed by the Prime Minister. Members of the house are elected for a limited term. Members of House of Lords are non elected and serve for life, barring Bishops and Archbishops of Church of England. The HOL2 is characterised by ‘peers’ and has significant powers vested on it. Over years, the changing relationship between the Monarchy and the parliament, especially during 1529 to 1640, is being seen as arising from the long-term financial problems of the Monarchy rather than from divisions over the future of the Church. Origin and functions of Parliament The origin of Parliament in England can be traced to the medieval times when the kings used to have courts and council of ministers. But after the Norman Invasion3 in 1066, the Crown needed the help of nobility and clergy to survive. The nobility had their own military and economic resources while the Church was a powerful entity with its own system of religious laws and court. The clergy had the following and strength of the church going public. The Crown formed the ‘Great Council’ comprising of archbishop, bishops, abbots, barons and earls and sought their opinions on major decisions of the state. During the early 13th century, the Great council evolved into the Parliament of England which was called upon whenever the Monarchy needed to consult them regarding financial issues. The Parliament had judicial and legislative functions to run the empire smoothly. In 1341, the commons, comprising of knights and burgesses sat separately in Lower Chamber and nobility and clergy occupied Upper Chamber. While the Parliament increasing gained more authority, the reign of Edward III saw the authority of Parliament grow to the extent that all laws and taxes needed the consent of the parliament before their implementation. But before 1530, the Parliament did not have the right of legislation on the matters related to properties and religion. While the religious matters came under the domain of the Church, the Monarch kept the rights of the property with himself. Historical Significance of Monarchy and Parliament The members of HOL, traditionally represented the nobility who were consulted by the monarchy in the administration. But during the period 1485 to 1640, history witnessed tremendous change of relationship between the Monarchy and the parliament. While the role of parliament was seen as vital for the administration for the smooth running of the British Empire, the Monarchy itself was not pleased with the increasing importance of parliament, especially in the area of finance and revenue collection. Development and Issues during Henry VII (1485-1509) Henry VII (1485-1509) did not have clear hereditary title to the throne and people were sceptic that he would be able to bring stability in the strife ridden kingdom. ‘After Henry Tudor became King, the English Crown ceased t be so vulnerable’4. Henry VII was a Lancastrian and he was proclaimed a king when Richard III was defeated in the battle of Bosworth in 1485. But Henry VII’s dynamic vision and determination to succeed laid the foundation of expanding kingdom of England and provided it with the internal stability that had become a dream for the common people. He married Elizabeth of York to bring together two warring factions, York and Lancaster. His administrative skills were exemplary. He ensured that the monarchy gained in power and at the same time, parliament was also involved in the reform processes. He increased the strength of the lower house to 296 and was able to put the interests of the commoners in the parliament in a more democratic manner. Henry VII was a brilliant strategist and did not ever directly come into conflict with the Parliament primarily he was able to bypass parliament by subtly exploiting the nobility and garner their support by revising Court of Star Chamber and ensuring their forced loyalty. ‘Court of Star Chamber’ looked into the problems of the nobility and was also used as an effective check and control for imposing taxes. He used it as an alternative for revenues from the parliament and imposed forced loan and grants on the nobility. During his reign, administration of law on national and local level was strengthened through this chamber by involving the nobility and indirectly gaining the trust of the people. He created Committee of the Privy Council which served as an executive advisory board for him. While he did not believe in direct interaction with the commoners, he nevertheless ensured their welfare by strengthening trade through trade agreements and subsidizing ship building so as to facilitate trade expansion. He greatly improved and improvised administrative efficiency through new reforms that replaced the feudal system and gave power to the commoner. ‘Medieval rule, in which local law and custom dominated, was slowly being transformed into a single state subject to royal decrees’5. By reviving Justice of Peace, he was also able to command respect for the monarchy and kept tight control over the towns and parishes, especially the financial control over their affairs. His reign saw tremendous all round development, including increasing trade, advancement in science and technology and literature. His foreign policy ensured peaceful relations with the neighbours and his twenty four years of reign saw few wars and thus lesser need for grand financial aids from the parliament. He created innovative means of generating revenues for the Crown and consequently had few encounters with parliament and literally no conflicts with it! Henry VIII (1509-1547) Henry VIII’s reign, in the later years, saw deterioration of relationship between the crown and the church as well as with the parliament. He was an autocratic ruler and did not hesitate to eliminate his real or imagined enemies. Like his father, he believed in the powerful monarchy but unlike him, he was more inclined to interact with his subjects. He was a popular monarch and therefore, was able to delegate power to his subordinates. Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, literally took over the governance of the state till the time, Henry was denied remarriage by the Church. During his reign, art and culture was encouraged and Henry VIII, himself wrote treatise that flayed the reformist ideas of Martin Luther King. Pope inferred him with the title of ‘Defendant of the Faith’. Henry VIII’s fall from the grace started when he asked for divorce form his first wife Catherine. He took the matters into his own hand and imprisoned Pope. His utter disregard for the Church propriety ultimately paved way for the Reformation Parliament6 in 1529, that subordinated the medieval Church and helped Henry in literally destroying the Churches and grabbing their land and property to fund his wars with the neighbours, especially the powerful French. Henry’s main support came from the increased powers of Star Chambers who controlled the nobilities and thereby the support of ‘House of Lords’ or upper house. The some of the reformist ideals had also been welcomed by the public and therefore Henry VIII was able to severe relations with Rome through law. Reformation Parliament laid the foundation of Protestantism in England. 137 statutes in seven years, literally ruined the splendour and riches of the Churches. Act of Supremacy7 proclaimed the King as the supreme head of the Church of England. 1543’s Act of Union8 formally brought Wales and Scotland under the Kingdom of England. Henry’s acts of aggression against the Church worsened his relations with his neighbours. Since Henry did not have much trust in the parliament in providing him with the financial grants for the war, the wealth collected through desecration of Church was used to finance the war with France. He used the money for strengthening navy and coastal defences. Thomas Cromwell became the main force behind Henry VIII’s ambitious plan. The period saw the serious start of conflicts between the Monarchy and the parliament. It was also a period that gave the bargaining power to the nobility in the Upper House. The nobility financed and aided and abetted his wars and in return, they became the major beneficiaries of Henry’s favours. They gained more powers in the parliament, especially related to legislations, at the cost of the powers of the crown! By the end of his rule in 1547, Henry III had lost his popularity and made great enemies in the welsh territories where he tried to impose new religious doctrines. Mary Tudor (1553-1558) Mary Tudor reign from 1553 to 1558 was characterized by violent acts of aggression against people who opposed her desire to reinvigorate Catholicism. She forced the Parliament to repeal Act of Supremacy and reinstated Catholic Bishops and petitioned for reunion with Rome. ‘Her steeliness belied an emotional fragility’9 and passed on the legacy of a strong woman power that facilitated Elizabeth to maintain strong Monarchy. Mary also revived heresy laws that made the following of religion other than that of the King, treason and thus a legal offence. Under this act, more than 300 heretics were burnt to death. People’s willingness to die, rather than change their religious ideals showed the deep rooted faith and made her one of the most unpopular character in the history of England. She did not get any support from the parliament, especially from the House of Lords, who were major beneficiaries from the dissolution of monasteries and had gained considerable property and land from there. The House of Commons also opposed her marriage to Phillip, King of Spain. She was called ‘bloody Mary’. Elizabeth I (1558-1603) Elizabeth I was the golden rule of British Empire. She chose a middle path to gain the loyalty of the commoners. She severed relations with Rome and reinstated Crown as the head of Church. She chose a middle path in her religious outlook and maintained a tolerant outlook towards other religion thus averting a potential religious war in England. She made concerted efforts that religion was kept outside the ambit of parliament and promoted peace between the two religious faction the parliament conferred her ‘supreme governor of the Church’10 rather than ‘supreme head’, thus appeasing both the factions. She was brilliant politician and chose her advisory executives judiciously. She administered the state and Crown property through able officials who were loyal to her. She was a great strategist and believed in making personal appearances in the public. Her popularity amongst the masses ensured that her supremacy in the parliament was never compromised. Her reign witnessed the huge socio-economic development of the nation which had greatly modernised its navy and military power. Art and literature also flourished. Trade activities expanded hugely and East India Company was established in 1600 which ended in colonisation of India and bringing it under the flagship of Kingdom of England. While the legislative powers of House of Commons were strengthened in favour of the commoners, Elizabeth ensured that Crown’s supremacy was never questioned in the parliament and used her ‘veto’ in the legislation. Though she had faced opposition when she tried to pass the Act of Uniformity in 1559, the act passed with minor corrections that had come from the sitting bishops from the House of Lords. During most of her reign, she neither confronted the parliament and nor tried to interfere in its constitutional position and functions. Instead, she was able to promote mutual cooperation that was designed towards the general welfare of the people and development of the nation. James I (1603-1625) When King of Scotland James IV (1603-1625), took the charge of the dual kingdoms, he had no experience of the parliament and therefore, his reign saw unprecedented conflicts between the Monarchy and the Parliament. While he was a highly literate King, his lack of understanding of the role of parliament in the administration became the major hurdle in his relationship with the parliament. Elizabeth’s reign had increasing made the parliament more powerful and therefore, the House of Commons had started exerting their legislative and administrative powers to curtail the diktats of James IV. The King’s conflicts with the parliament were chiefly that of finance which he required for his extravagant lifestyle and the wars. During the time of poor harvest and deteriorating economic conditions, he tried to raise the money through increased taxation which was opposed by the House of Common. In 1610, the failure of Great Contract, led to serious conflicts with the parliament. The Kings’s effort to gain leverage in the parliament by buying nobility in the House of Lords led the parliament to question the privileges of the Monarchy. The parliament had gained considerably in stature and had more powers than just being an advisory body for the Crown. The expensive war with Spain and later James’s efforts to impose common laws over the acts of parliament were designed to dominate the parliament but failed miserable. The start of conflicting relationship between the Monarchy and the parliament became crucial matter of state. Charles I (1625-1649) After the king’s death in 1625, his son Charles I succeeded his father. Charles was not a popular king and he tried to subvert the parliament when they refused to finance his wars against France and Spain. He increased the power of the clergy and bought the loyalty of the nobility by selling the titles. He antagonised Scottish nobility when his Act of Revocation in 1625 restored the titles of land and property to the Church that were distributed amongst the Scottish nobility. He started circumventing parliament by not calling it. Russell affirms that ‘Parliaments were occasional and short term assemblies. Without a change in this point, Parliament could not enjoy much more status...’11 In 1637, Scottish people openly rebelled when he tried to enforce reading of ‘revised prayer book’. In 1638, when he met the Assembly, he was informed that his earlier orders were repealed and all the bishops were deposed, revised prayer book abolished and the land and property reverted back to the nobility. Charles’ declared war against the Scots but failed in his mission to subjugate them. Scottish Parliament abolished episcopacy and freed itself from the King’s control by forming ‘Table’ comprising of gentry, nobles, clergymen and Scottish burghs and formed their own covenant. Parliament of England also refused his request to finance war and made fresh rules that would better facilitate the functioning of the Parliament. Matters came to the head when Charles tried to arrest five members of the Parliament but could not do so as the Speaker of the House had refused to disclose their hideout. ‘..account of the altercation that took place between the King and the Parliament..’12. The Parliament with the help of Scottish Army, led by Oliver Cromwell, defeated Charles’ army and executed him in 1649. This led to the foundation of strong Parliament of British Empire. Conclusion The history has clearly shown that the conflicts between the Monarchy and the Parliament were fundamentally based on the financial considerations. Though religion was a powerful institution that commanded massive public support, the Monarchy was never at odds with the Church till Henry VIII’s need to divorce and remarry Ann. The historical events are significant indicators of the reasons that the conflicts between the Monarchy and the Parliament were basically financial in nature. The Monarchy needed the consent of the parliament so as to avoid public wrath and generate support for their causes. It was for these reasons that the Monarchy tried many fair and foul means of garnering parliament support for their demands. The Monarchy was not bothered by the works and legislations of the parliament that were confined to the welfare schemes. It was only when they started exerting restrictions on the privileges and financial demands that the real conflicts arose between the Monarchy and the Parliament. The reforms of 1832, substantially curtailed the powers of the nobility in the upper house and gave more teeth to the Lower House and set in a process of democratic franchise that was more people oriented. During the 20th century, HOL has undergone tremendous changes and has moved from ‘co-equal to subordinate’13 (Jones, 2001, p392). The Reform Act had given more constitutional validity to Lower House but HOL, despite its diminished powers, was able to assert its limited authority through its veto power or power to delay bills. One can conclude successfully that the political ideologies and democratic pattern of a state are strong indication of the government to represent the common man. The democratic system is the most popular way of reflecting and incorporating the welfare of the masses. The Parliament of Kingdom of England has evolved through the times to represent the welfare of the masses and therefore the relationship between the Monarchy and the Parliament is a crucial factor that must work together for the people. Reference Coby, Patrick J & Carnes, Mark C. (2006). Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliament: Reacting to the Past. Prentice Hall. Graves, Michael. (1996).Elizabethan Parliaments 1559-1601. Pearson Education. Grant, Alexander. (1985).Henry VII: The Importance of His Reign in English History. Taylor & Francis. Haige, Christophe. (1990). The Cambridge Historical Encyclopedia of Great Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press. Henry VII. Available from: [Accessed 11 February, 2009]. Jones, B. (2001) Politics UK (4th edition) (London: Longman), p.392 Loades, David. (2006). Mary Tudor: The Tragical History of the First Queen of England. National Archives. Macauley, Thomas & Trevor-Roper, Hugh. (2006). History of England. Penguin Classics. May, Thomas. (2007). History of the Parliament of England which Began November the Third. NY. Published by By Moses Bell for George Thomason, 1812 Norton, Philips. (July 2000). Strengthening Parliament. The Report of Commission to strengthen Parliament. Published by Conservative Party, London. Norman Invasion. Available from: [Accessed 11 February, 2009] Russell, Conrad. (1983). The Nature of a Parliament in Early Stuart England, in Before English Civil War. London. P141-2 Read More