Long Parliament - 1640–1648, 1649–1653 Rump Parliament, 1659 recall and 1660 restoration, Succession, Notable members of the Long Parliament

An English parliament called (Nov 1640) by Charles I after his defeat by the Scots in the second Bishops' War. It was legally in being 1640–60, but did not meet continuously. It attacked prerogative rights and alleged abuses of power by the king and his ministers, and abolished the Court of Star Chamber, the Councils of the North and for Wales, and the Ecclesiastical Court of High Commission (1641), the bishops and the Court of Wards (1646), and the monarchy and the House of Lords (1649). Moderates were eliminated in Pride's Purge (Dec 1648), and the remaining Rump was dismissed by Cromwell in 1653. The Rump was recalled in the death-throes of the Protectorate (May 1659), and all members in December 1659.

The Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, in 1640, following the Bishops' Wars.

The Rump was recalled in 1659 and the larger Long Parliament in 1660.

1640–1648

The sole reason Charles assembled Parliament was to ask it to pass finance bills, since the Bishops' Wars had bankrupted him.

The Parliament was initially influenced by John Pym and his supporters. A Triennial Act was passed, requiring that no more than three years should elapse between sessions of Parliament and the Dissolution Act which required the Long Parliament's consent to its own dissolution.

The Irish Rebellion which started in October 1641 brought the control of the army back into the discussions between King and Parliament. Led by John Pym, Parliament presented the King with the Grand Remonstrance which was passed in the Commons by 11 votes (159 - 148) on 22 November 1641.

The King believed that Puritans (or Dissenters) encouraged by five vociferous members of the House of Commons, John Pym, John Hampden, Denzil Holles, Sir Arthur Haselrig and William Strode along with Lord Mandeville (the future Earl of Manchester) who sat in the House of Lords, had encouraged the Scots to invade England in the recent Bishops' Wars and that they were intent on turning the London mob against him.

The Speaker of the House during the Long Parliament was William Lenthall. Most of the royalist members of Parliament left to join him there where they formed the Oxford Parliament.

In March 1642 with the King absent from London and the war clouds gathering, Parliament decreed that its own Parliamentary Ordinances were valid laws without royal assent. The Militia Ordinance was passed on 5 March by Parliament which gave Parliament control of the local militia called Trained Bands.

Time line

Triennial Act, passed 15 February 1641 Archbishop William Laud imprisoned 26 February 1641 Act against Dissolving the Long Parliament without its own Consent 11 May 1641 Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford executed May 12, 1641 Abolition the Star Chamber 5 July 1641 Ship Money declared illegal 7 August 1641 Grand Remonstrance 22 November 1641 Militia Bill December, 1641 The King’s answer to the petition accompanying the Grand Remonstrance 23 December 1641 The King's attempt to seize the five members 4 January 1642 The King and Royal Family leave Whitehall for Hampton Court. January, 1642 The King leaves Hampton Court for the North 2 March 1642 Parliament decreed that Parliamentary Ordinances were valid without royal assent March, 1642 Militia Ordnance 5 March 1642 The Solemn League and Covenant 25 September 1643 Ordinance appointing the First Committee of both Kingdoms 16 February 1644 The Self-denying Ordinance 4 April 1645 Pride's Purge December 7, 1648

1649–1653 Rump Parliament

Main article Rump Parliament

Divisions emerged between various factions, culminating in Pride's Purge on December 7, 1648, when, under the orders of Oliver Cromwell, Colonel Pride physically barred about half of the members of Parliament from taking their seats. It was followed by the Barebones Parliament and then the First, Second and Third Protectorate Parliament

1659 recall and 1660 restoration

The Rump was recalled after Richard Cromwell failed miserably as Lord Protector in 1659.

On February 21, 1660 General George Monck reinstated the members 'secluded' by Pride, so that they could prepare legislation for the Convention Parliament.

Note that according to royalist legal theory, the Long Parliament was regarded as having been automatically dissolved form the moment of Charles I's execution on 30 January 1649.

Succession

The Long Parliament was preceded by the Short Parliament. It was purged by Pride to become the Rump Parliament and was restored by Monck and succeeded by the Convention Parliament.

Notable members of the Long Parliament

Sir John Coolepeper Oliver Cromwell Sir Simonds D'Ewes George Digby Lucius Carey, 2nd Viscount Falkland John Hampden Robert Harley Sir Arthur Haselrig Denzil Holles Edward Hyde William Lenthall John Pym Sir Benjamin Rudyerd William Russell, Lord Russell Oliver St John Sir Francis Seymour William Strode Sir Henry Vane the Younger