Convention Parliament (England)
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| Convention Parliament (England) | |
|---|---|
.png) Sodacan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Name | Convention Parliament (England) |
| Convened | 1660, 1689, 1399 (usage varies) |
| Jurisdiction | Kingdom of England |
| Chamber1 | House of Commons |
| Chamber2 | House of Lords |
| Notable legislation | Declaration of Breda, Bill of Rights 1689, Act of Settlement 1701 |
Convention Parliament (England) The Convention Parliament (England) denotes extraordinary assemblies convened without formal summons by a monarch, most prominently in 1660 and 1689, associated with regime change, settlement, and constitutional realignment. These gatherings intersect with events such as the English Civil War, the Restoration, the Glorious Revolution, and the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William III of England and II of Scotland.
Origins and Legal Status
The concept emerged amid crises involving Magna Carta, Bill of Rights 1689, and disputed royal authority after episodes like the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I of England, prompting legal debates involving jurists such as Edward Coke, William Blackstone, and constitutional texts including the Act of Settlement 1701. Convention Parliaments derived authority from precedents set by assemblies including the Model Parliament and the Long Parliament (1640–1660), and their legality was often justified through instruments like the Declaration of Breda and negotiations tied to treaties such as the Treaty of Dover and principles discussed by theorists like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.
Notable Convention Parliaments
The 1660 assembly followed the collapse of the Protectorate, negotiations involving Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, and proclamations linked to the Declaration of Breda, ultimately restoring Charles II. The 1689 Convention followed the flight of James II of England and the arrival of William III of Orange-Nassau, producing the Bill of Rights 1689 and offering the crown to William III of England and II of Scotland and Mary II of England. Earlier precursors or disputed conventions include the 1399 deposition of Richard II of England involving figures such as Henry Bolingbroke, 1st Duke of Hereford (later Henry IV of England).
Composition and Key Figures
Membership combined MPs from constituencies like City of London, Cornwall, and Yorkshire with peers from houses including House of Lords magnates such as Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds and legal luminaries including Sir Matthew Hale and Sir Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury. Prominent Commons leaders included Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, and the republican critic John Lilburne in earlier periods; influential clerks and advisers ranged from William Sancroft to Gilbert Burnet who shaped debates on succession and settlement. The interplay involved local gentry from shires like Surrey and Devon, municipal elites from Bristol and Norwich, and court factions tied to figures such as The Duke of York and Anne Hyde.
Powers and Functions
Convention Parliaments exercised powers similar to those of regular Parliaments—legislation, taxation endorsement, and settlement of the crown—while addressing crises of legitimacy reflected in documents like the Habeas Corpus Act 1679 and debates over prerogative stemming from precedents set by Star Chamber proceedings and the Triennial Acts. They negotiated treaties and oaths such as the Declaration of Right and adjudicated issues of succession relating to the Act of Settlement 1701, balancing claims posited by dynasts like James II against offers extended to William III of Orange-Nassau.
Major Actions and Legislation
The 1660 Convention ratified the Declaration of Breda and facilitated the passage of indemnity measures and the reinstatement of laws overturned during the Interregnum, affecting legislation like the Navigation Acts and statutes concerning episcopacy tied to William Laud. The 1689 Convention produced the Bill of Rights 1689, which curtailed aspects of the royal prerogative, influenced the Toleration Act 1689, and set precedents later codified in the Act of Settlement 1701; these measures engaged lawyers from the Court of King's Bench and elicited responses from continental houses such as the Estates-General and monarchs like Louis XIV of France.
Constitutional Significance and Legacy
Convention Parliaments shaped constitutional monarchy through instruments that influenced both British and transatlantic developments, including debates leading to the United States Constitution and invoking theorists like John Locke in discussions of consent, revolution, and rights. Their precedents informed parliamentary supremacy doctrines linked to cases in the Common Law tradition and later political settlements such as the Glorious Revolution settlement and the Hanoverian succession involving George I of Great Britain. The legacy persists in institutional memory across institutions like the House of Commons and House of Lords, and in scholarship by historians such as Lord Acton and Gilbert Burnet.