Long Parliament
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| Long Parliament | |
|---|---|
 Sodacan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Name | Long Parliament |
| Caption | N/A |
| Country | Kingdom of England |
| Founded | 3 November 1640 |
| Dissolved | 16 March 1660 |
| Key people | King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, William Laud |
Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament convened in 1640 that dramatically reshaped relations among King Charles I, Parliament of England, and regional authorities in England. It navigated crises involving Bishops' Wars, fiscal disputes over the Ship Money assessment, and clashes with figures such as Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and William Laud. The assembly's actions intertwined with events like the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the English Civil War, and the later emergence of the Commonwealth of England.
Background and Summoning
The summoning followed setbacks in the Bishops' Wars between King Charles I and Kingdom of Scotland under the National Covenant (1638), and fiscal strain from the failed policy of Personal Rule (1629–1640) marked by disputes over Ship Money, Feudal tenure, and prerogative taxation. Pressures from advisors including Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, headlined by prosecutions in the Star Chamber, and ecclesiastical reforms by William Laud provoked opposition among MPs such as John Pym, John Hampden, and Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon. The international context included ties to the Thirty Years' War, diplomatic interactions with France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic, and financial networks linking to the City of London and commercial interests like the East India Company.
Key Figures and Factions
Prominent parliamentary leaders included John Pym, John Hampden, Oliver St John (judge), and Sir Denzil Holles. Royalist defenders comprised King Charles I allies such as Denzil Holles (complex), Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, and military commanders like Prince Rupert of the Rhine and James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton. Religious and political alignments featured proponents of the Presbyterian movement including Alexander Henderson and proponents of the Independents like Oliver Cromwell, Henry Marten, and Philip Skippon. Other notable figures encompassed legal authorities like John Coke and clerics like William Laud, with aristocrats such as Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron and Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton involved militarily. Factional lines crossed personalities including Sir Arthur Haselrig, Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, and Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford.
Major Proceedings and Legislation
Parliament enacted measures including the abolition of the Star Chamber and the Court of High Commission, the Triennial Act reforms, and impeachment proceedings culminating in the execution of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. Debates produced statutes addressing militia control, the Militia Ordinance controversies with King Charles I, and acts pertaining to customs duties and fiscal reforms. Proceedings involved committees and ordinances that intersected with figures such as John Pym, Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, Denzil Holles, and Oliver Cromwell. Legislation influenced religious settlement attempts involving Presbyterianism, the Solemn League and Covenant, and disputes over episcopacy associated with William Laud. Parliamentary business referenced legal luminaries like William Noy and political theorists near to the assembly such as Hugo Grotius in broader debate.
Role in the English Civil War
The assembly's directives on militia and finance helped precipitate armed confrontation between Royalist forces led by commanders like Prince Rupert of the Rhine and Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton and Parliamentary armies under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell. Key engagements intersected with Parliamentarian strategy including the Battle of Edgehill, the Battle of Marston Moor, and the Battle of Naseby. Parliamentary ordinances authorized the creation and maintenance of the New Model Army, with commanders including Sir Thomas Fairfax and cavalry leaders such as Sir William Waller. International reaction involved the Dutch Republic, France, and Spain while the Irish dimension featured the Irish Confederate Wars after the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
Purge, Rump, and Continuation
Internal tensions culminated in Pride's Purge, executed by forces including Thomas Pride and supported by Army Council figures like Oliver Cromwell and Henry Ireton, which expelled MPs deemed obstructive. The remaining assembly, later called the Rump, proceeded to try and execute King Charles I and to abolish the House of Lords and monarchy, forming the Commonwealth of England under the influence of Oliver Cromwell, Henry Marten, and military commissioners. Subsequent phases involved the Protectorate, the recall of excluded members in the Restoration era reconnecting to Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and Charles II, and regulatory episodes such as the dissolution of the Rump by Oliver Cromwell and the later reconvening leading to the Restoration settlement.
Legacy and Constitutional Impact
The Long Parliament reshaped constitutional precedent concerning parliamentary sovereignty, limits on royal prerogative, and legal protections through instruments influenced by writers like John Locke in later reflection, and practices that informed the Glorious Revolution and the development of the Constitutional monarchy under William III and Mary II. Its actions influenced legal reforms in the Bill of Rights 1689 trajectory and debates that involved jurists such as Edward Coke historically and politicians like Robert Walpole in subsequent parliamentary evolution. The episode affected colonial policy debates in Virginia and Massachusetts Bay Colony and left a historiographical legacy debated by scholars referencing memoirs from figures like Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and pamphleteers such as John Milton.