Long Parliament (1640)
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| Long Parliament (1640) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Long Parliament (1640) |
| Convened | 3 November 1640 |
| Dissolved | 16 March 1660 (purported) |
| Location | Palace of Westminster, London |
| Country | Kingdom of England |
| Key people | King Charles I, John Pym, Oliver Cromwell, William Laud, Earl of Strafford |
| Previous | Short Parliament (1640) |
| Subsequent | Rump Parliament |
Long Parliament (1640) The Long Parliament assembled in Westminster in November 1640 following the collapse of mediation between King Charles I and political opponents, initiating a prolonged constitutional conflict that intersected with events like the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and the outbreak of the First English Civil War. It enacted sweeping measures against key royal ministers such as the Earl of Strafford and William Laud, while figures including John Pym, John Hampden, and Oliver Cromwell rose to prominence within factions tied to the Parliamentary army, the New Model Army, and provincial politics in Yorkshire and Essex.
Background and Summoning
The summoning followed defeats in the Bishops' Wars and financial collapse after Charles I’s policy of Personal Rule that had seen conflicts with Scotland and tensions over the Scottish Covenant and the imposition of the Book of Common Prayer (1637). Pressure from peers, militia leaders, and magnates such as the Earl of Warwick, Duke of Buckingham (George Villiers), and members of the House of Commons compelled the king to call the Short Parliament (1640), which failed and led to the later convening of this longer assembly as desperate royal policy met resistance from lawyers like Sir Edward Coke’s legacy and jurisconsults influenced by precedents in the Petition of Right (1628) and debates over the Star Chamber and High Commission.
Composition and Key Figures
Membership included peers from the House of Lords and burgesses from the House of Commons drawn from counties such as Lancashire, Cornwall, and Norfolk, with legal luminaries like Sir Arthur Haselrig and military aristocrats like Earl of Essex active in parliamentary committees. Prominent leaders were John Pym, whose coalition included Oliver St John and Denzil Holles, while royalist parliamentary figures like Lord Falkland and ministers including Sir John Finch and Sir Henry Vane the Younger represented competing tendencies. Military organizers such as William Waller and Thomas Fairfax engaged with parliamentary policy as did colonial and commercial interests linked to East India Company shareholders and patentees from London’s mercantile class.
Major Legislation and Actions
Early sessions moved to abolish prerogative courts including the Star Chamber and Court of High Commission and to impeach and convict ministers such as the Earl of Strafford (executed after the Act of Attainder) and William Laud (sentenced during the turmoil). Parliament passed measures curbing fiscal innovations like Ship Money and reforms affecting the Church of England by challenging episcopal authority and provoking controversy over the Root and Branch Petition and liturgical reform. Committees such as the Grand Committee and the Committee of Both Kingdoms coordinated military levies, militia ordinances, and the creation of the New Model Army, while acts on peace, subsidies, and militia shifted power between Westminster and county associations like the Eastern Association.
Role in the English Civil War
As armed conflict erupted between royalist forces led by Prince Rupert of the Rhine and parliamentary armies commanded by Earl of Essex and later Thomas Fairfax, the Parliament directed strategy, supply, and political oversight through committees and commissions that intersected with sieges such as Siege of York and battles like Edgehill, Marston Moor, and Naseby. Parliamentary alliances with Scottish Covenanters secured by the Solemn League and Covenant provided troops and religious-political terms that influenced negotiations with the king at Oxford and during the Treaty of Newport (1648). Tensions between civilian magistrates and military officers grew as the New Model Army asserted political influence, culminating in disputes over indemnity, arrears, and the army’s role in enforcing parliamentary will.
Pride's Purge and Aftermath
Factional conflict peaked when elements loyal to Oliver Cromwell and army agitators executed Pride's Purge in December 1648, when soldiers under Colonel Thomas Pride barred known royalist and moderate MPs from entering Westminster, producing the Rump Parliament that proceeded to try and execute King Charles I after the Trial of Charles I. The purge and creation of the Rump severed conciliatory coalitions like those around Denzil Holles and led to military-backed governance, the temporary abolition of the House of Lords, and the proclamation of the Commonwealth of England, until later developments including the Restoration of Charles II reversed many outcomes.
Legacy and Historical Interpretations
Historians debate whether the Long Parliament represented a constitutional revolution rooted in doctrines advanced by figures like Sir Edward Coke and Hobbes’s contemporaries or a power struggle shaped by military intervention and regional mobilization tied to Scotland and Ireland. Interpretations vary from Whig narratives celebrating parliamentary liberty to Marxist accounts emphasizing socio-economic conflict involving gentry, yeomanry, and urban merchants from London and provincial towns, while revisionist scholars highlight personalities such as John Pym and Oliver Cromwell and institutions like the New Model Army and county associations. Its legislation on prerogative, religion, and finance left enduring marks on constitutional practice reflected in later statutes and influenced debates at events like the Glorious Revolution (1688) and constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom.