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The term Convention Parliament has been applied to three different English Parliaments, of 1399, 1660 and 1689.

The definition of the term convention parliament is generally taken to be:
A parliament which does not derive its authority or legitimacy from an existing or previously enacted parliamentary action or process.


first example of a convention parliament is the parliament of 1399.






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The term Convention Parliament has been applied to three different English Parliaments, of 1399, 1660 and 1689.

The definition of the term convention parliament is generally taken to be:
A parliament which does not derive its authority or legitimacy from an existing or previously enacted parliamentary action or process.


Convention Parliament of 1399

The first example of a convention parliament is the parliament of 1399. Formed in September of 1399, this parliament convened consequent to the deposition of King Richard II of England
Richard II of England

Richard II was the eighth King of England of the House of Plantagenet. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III of England....
 and the dissolution of the previous parliament which accepted Henry Bolingbroke as King Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England

Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . Like other kings of England, he also claimed the title of King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence the other name by which he was known, Henry Bolingbroke....
. Although this parliament is not often referred to as a 'convention parliament,' it meets the definition of the term.

Convention Parliament of 1660

The second example is the Convention Parliament also known as the English Convention which was elected in March 1660. It was elected after the Long Parliament
Long Parliament

The Long Parliament is the name of the List of Parliaments of England called by Charles I of England, on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars....
 had finally voted for its own dissolution. Elected as a "free parliament", i.e. with no oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth or to the monarchy, it was predominantly Royalist in its membership. It assembled for the first time on April 25, 1660.

The Convention, after the Declaration of Breda
Declaration of Breda

The Declaration of Breda was a proclamation wherein Charles II of England made known the conditions of his acceptance of the crown of England which he was to accept, or resume, later in the same year....
 had been received, proclaimed on 8 May that King Charles II
Charles II of England

Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
 had been the lawful monarch since the death of Charles I
Charles I of England

Charles I was List of English monarchs, List of monarchs of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his capital punishment on 30 January 1649....
 in January 1649. The Convention Parliament then proceeded to conduct the necessary preparation for the Restoration Settlement. These preparations included the necessary provisions to deal with land and funding such that the new régime could operate.

Reprisals against the establishment which had developed under Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English people Military history of the United Kingdom and Politics of England leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
 were constrained under the terms of the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
Indemnity and Oblivion Act

The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of England , the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion"....
 which became law on 29 August, 1660. Nonetheless there were prosecutions against those accused of regicide
Regicide

The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the United Kingdom tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after alleged due process of law....
, the direct participation in the trial and execution of Charles I.

The Convention Parliament was dissolved by Charles II on 29 December 1660. The succeeding parliament was elected in May 1661, and was called the Cavalier Parliament
Cavalier Parliament

The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from May 8, 1661 until January 24, 1679. It followed the Convention Parliament#Convention Parliament of 1660....
. It set about both systematic dismantling of all the legislation and institutions which had been introduced during the Interregnum, and the confirming of the Acts of the Convention Parliament.

Convention Parliament of 1689

The third example of a convention parliament is the first parliament of the 'Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of British monarchy James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliament of England with an invading army led by the Dutch Republic stadtholder William III of England , who as a result ascended the English throne as William III of England....
' of 1688.

This parliament, which met in 1689 after the departure of King James II of England
James II of England

James II and VII was List of English monarchs, List of Scottish monarchs, and King of Ireland from 6 February 1685. He was the last Roman Catholic Church monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland....
, was not summoned by the King. It decided that he had abdicated by fleeing the capital and throwing the Great Seal of the Realm
Great Seal of the Realm

The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a Seal that is used to symbolise the monarch's approval of important state documents....
 in the River Thames
River Thames

The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
. It also offered the throne jointly to King William III
William III of England

William III was a Prince of Orange by birth. From 1672 onwards, he governed as List_of_stadtholders_for_the_Low_Countries_provinces William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic....
 and Queen Mary II
Mary II of England

Mary II reigned as List of English monarchs, List of Scottish monarchs, and King of Ireland from 1689 until her death. Mary, a Protestantism, came to the thrones following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of her Roman Catholic father, James II of England....
, formally recognising Prince William of Orange as King by passing the Bill of Rights 1689
Bill of Rights 1689

The Bill of Rights is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of England, whose long title is An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown....
.

The Scottish equivalent was the Convention of the Estates, leading to the Claim of Right Act 1689
Claim of Right Act 1689

The Claim of Right is an Acts of Parliament passed by the Parliament of Scotland in April 1689. It is one of the key documents of constitution of the United Kingdom law....
, having a similar effect on the Scottish crown.

Features of the convention parliaments

The features which unite the three convention parliaments and which mandate their status as convention parliaments, are:

  • The recognition by the convention of the preceding parliamentary process as having come to an end of its powers in terms of determining future parliamentary proceedings


  • The implicit self-empowerment of the parliamentary convention to act in place of the preceding process, thereby establishing its own legitimacy in determining the future of parliamentary proceedings


See also

  • Constituent Assembly
    Constituent assembly

    A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution. As described by Columbia University Social Sciences Professor John Elster:...
  • Constitutional convention (political meeting)
    Constitutional convention (political meeting)

    A constitutional convention is a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution....
  • List of Parliaments of England
    List of Parliaments of England

    List of Parliaments of England is a list of the Parliament of England, from the reign of King Henry III of England to the creation of the Parliament of Great Britain in 1707....
  • Constituent Cortes
    Constituent Cortes

    Constituent Cortes is the description of the Cortes Generales when convened as a Constituent Assembly.In the 20th century only one Constituent Cortes was officially opened , and that was the Spanish Republic Cortes in 1931....
  • Revolutionary breach of legal continuity
    Revolutionary breach of legal continuity

    Revolutionary breach of legal continuity is a concept in English constitutional law, which rationalises the historic English behaviour when one Monarch was deposed and a de facto ruler was recognised as the new de jure monarch ....