Although first constructed in the 11th century, Westminster Hall still stands tall as an important building within the modern-day Houses of Parliament. As Dr Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1461-1504 section discusses, a building of this age and importance requires a lot of repair work, and this was also the case back in the Middle Ages. Westminster Hall, built under William II between … Continue reading Westminster Hall in the Middle Ages
Dr Hannes Kleineke of our Commons 1461-1504 Section explores how Paddington Bear’s favourite sweet treat was traded by some members of the late medieval House of Commons… This blog must start with a disclaimer: there is of course no evidence (and no suggestion) that the Peruvian bear ever sat in the British House of Commons. What we do know, however, is that late medieval Members traded, inter alia, … Continue reading Paddington in Parliament
Dr Hannes Kleineke explores the acrimonious ‘Parliament of Bats’, which first met in Leicester on this day 600 years ago, amidst tensions between two of Henry VI’s closest political advisors. At the end of 1425, just three years into the reign of the infant Henry VI, the English polity, such as it was, was in turmoil. Although arrangements for the conduct of government during the … Continue reading The true beginning of troubles? The Parliament of Bats, 1426
The death of Edward IV on 9 April 1483 saw the accession of his son Edward V to the English throne. However, as Dr Hannes Kleineke of our Commons 1461-1504 Section explores, it was only two months later that he would be deposed… To the parliamentary historian, the assembly summoned in the late spring of 1483 in the name of the young Edward V presents … Continue reading Almost a Parliament: Edward V’s assembly of 25 June 1483
On this day, 1499, Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne, was hanged for treason, bringing an end to one of the most significant threats to Henry VII’s reign. Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our House of Commons 1461-1504 section, recounts the story of the Warbeck Conspiracy. Some three years after Lambert Simnel had taken up his post as Henry VII’s kitchen boy, another … Continue reading Unrest in the West: The Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy
As the UK prepares to go to the polls for the 2024 General Election, modern politicians continue their campaigns across the nation, in an attempt to persuade electors to vote for them on July 4. However, for much of the middle ages, parliamentary elections saw no voting take place at all! Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our House of Commons 1461-1504 project, explains some of … Continue reading Parliamentary Elections in the Fifteenth Century
On 16 August 1485, King Richard III issued a pardon to an old adversary, John Morton, bishop of Ely. Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, explores the issue that Morton posed to Richard and why he felt the need to offer Morton such an elaborate pardon. On 9 August 1485 Henry Tudor, titular earl of Richmond, landed on the Welsh coast near Milford Haven … Continue reading A last roll of the dice? Richard III’s pardon to John Morton, 16 August 1485
While many coronations have been unlucky weather-wise, it is Henry V’s coronation that has gone down in history for its appalling weather. Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, reflects… No series of blogs to mark the coronation of TM King Charles III and Queen Camilla would be complete without some comment on the weather – it is, after all, an English, as well as a … Continue reading Beast from the East or Song of Solomon? The Coronation of King Henry V, 9 April 1413
In today’s blog we pay tribute to Professor Robert C. Palmer who’s work has had a large impact on the History of Parliament. Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project reflects on Professor Palmer’s incredible career. News has reached us of the death at the age of 76 of Professor Robert C. Palmer of the university of Houston, Texas. A specialist in medieval English legal history, … Continue reading A Tribute to Professor Robert Palmer
In October, Dr Hannes Kleineke, editor of our Commons 1461-1504 project, delivered the ‘Maurice and Shelagh Bond Memorial Lecture’ at St George’s Chapel. This is the second blog in a two-blog series where Hannes reflects on the people of St George’s Chapel. Here, we look at the Poor Knights of Windsor and their major disagreement with the Canons… The deans and canons of Windsor who … Continue reading From Windsor to Westminster: the people of St George’s in Parliament in the later Middle Ages II: Knights vs Canons
