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The Model Parliament is the term used for the 1295 parliament of King Edward I
Edward I of England

Edward I , popularly known as Longshanks, the English Justinian, and the Hammer of the Scots , was a House of Plantagenet King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost succeeding in doing the same to Scotland....
. This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the various counties
Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxons kingdoms and shires....
 and borough
Borough

A borough is an administrative division of various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
s. Each county returned two knights, two burgesses were elected from each borough, and each city provided two citizens. This composition became the model for later parliaments
Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislature in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories....
, hence the name. A similar scheme had been used in summoning De Montfort's Parliament
De Montfort's Parliament

De Montfort's Parliament was an Parliament of England of 1265, instigated by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester without royal approval. Simon de Montfort's army had met and defeated the royal forces at the Battle of Lewes on May 14, 1264....
 in 1265.






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The Model Parliament is the term used for the 1295 parliament of King Edward I
Edward I of England

Edward I , popularly known as Longshanks, the English Justinian, and the Hammer of the Scots , was a House of Plantagenet King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost succeeding in doing the same to Scotland....
. This assembly included members of the clergy and the aristocracy, as well as representatives from the various counties
Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxons kingdoms and shires....
 and borough
Borough

A borough is an administrative division of various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
s. Each county returned two knights, two burgesses were elected from each borough, and each city provided two citizens. This composition became the model for later parliaments
Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislature in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories....
, hence the name. A similar scheme had been used in summoning De Montfort's Parliament
De Montfort's Parliament

De Montfort's Parliament was an Parliament of England of 1265, instigated by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester without royal approval. Simon de Montfort's army had met and defeated the royal forces at the Battle of Lewes on May 14, 1264....
 in 1265. That Parliament, however, had been called by Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester , was the principal leader of the baronial opposition to King Henry III of England. After the rebellion of 1263-1264, de Montfort became de facto ruler of England and called the De Montfort's Parliament in medieval Europe....
 in the midst of the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War

The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward ....
 against Henry III of England
Henry III of England

Henry III was the son and successor of John of England as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester....
; that the same scheme should be adopted by a king (and that king Henry's son and heir, who had quelled Montfort's uprising) was remarkable.

Edward I summoned the parliament on 13 November 1295. In calling the parliament, Edward proclaimed in his writ of summons, "what touches all, should be approved of all, and it is also clear that common dangers should be met by measures agreed upon in common." At the time, Parliament's legislative authority was limited and its primary role was to levy taxes. Edward's paramount goal in summoning the parliament was to raise funds for his wars, specifically planned campaigns against the French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and the Scots
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
 for the upcoming year, and countering an insurgency in Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
.

However, the resulting parliament became a model for a new function as well, the addressing of grievances with the king. "The elected members were far more anxious to establish the second function: to discuss grievances. A kind of quid pro quo was looked for: money for the Scottish campaign of 1296 would be forthcoming if certain grievances were addressed. This consciousness was growing, even if all was still in an embryonic state." The concept of "Parliament" was, in fact, such that the division into House of Commons
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
 and House of Lords
House of Lords

The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords". The Parliament comprises the British monarchy, the British House of Commons , and the Lords....
 had not yet taken place; the Model Parliament was unicameral, summoning 49 lords to sit with 292 representatives of the Commons.

See also

  • Parliament of England
    Parliament of England

    The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. Its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period. In a series of developments, it came increasingly to constrain the power of the King of England, and went on after the Act of Union 1707 to merge with the Parliament of Scotland and form the main basis of the Pa...
  • Provisions of Oxford
    Provisions of Oxford

    The Provisions of Oxford were installed in 1258 by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester; these documents are often regarded as England's first written constitution....
     and Provisions of Westminster
    Provisions of Westminster

    The Provisions of Westminster of 1259 were part of a series of legislative constitutional reforms which arose out of power struggles between Henry III of England and his barons....
  • 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....