The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, 1275-1504

The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, 1275-1504 Synopsis

A major contribution to the history of Parliament, to medieval English history, and to the study of the English constitution. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW The rolls of parliament were the official records of the meetings of the English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) until the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509), after which they were superseded by the journals of thelords, and, somewhat later, the commons. This volume covers the first nine years of the minority of Henry VI, which saw seven parliaments. This high frequency is linked to the fact that Henry was only nine months old when hebecame king in 1422. The rolls of this period have much of interest on how government functioned during a minority. Parliament became a crucial cog in the wheel of collective and conciliar rule, and also had to deal with disputesbetween Henry's advisers. Also interesting is the transition from the regime of Henry V to that of his son. The roll for the 1423 assembly includes the inventory of Henry V's moveable goods as dealt with by his executors. That forthe 1429 meeting, during which the coronation occurred and a royal visit to France was planned, saw many significant common petitions, including that concerning the electorate of the 40s freeholder. The rolls from the periodare reproduced in their entirely, complented by a full translation of all the texts from the three languages used by the medieval clerks (Latin, Anglo-Norman and Middle English). Anne Curry is Professor of History andDean of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Southampton