The emergence and growth of Parliament
Parliament started as a meeting kings called when they needed money. Following how it became permanent explains where modern British political power actually sits.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Understand how the emergence and growth of Parliament shaped political power in Britain
Key learning points
- • Medieval beginnings
- • Becoming necessary
- • Conflict and settlement
- • Consequences and limits
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 25 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
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Part 1 of 25
Visual introductionPicture this
The emergence and growth of Parliament
Parliament started as a meeting kings called when they needed money. Following how it became permanent explains where modern British political power actually sits.
In a nutshell
Understand how the emergence and growth of Parliament shaped political power in Britain
What you already know
Part 2 of 25
Before we start
What you already know
You should already know that medieval kings needed consent to raise taxes.
Key words
Part 3 of 25
Key words
Words you'll need today
- Statute
- A law passed by Parliament.
- Commons
- The elected house of Parliament.
- Franchise
- The right to vote.
- Sovereignty
- Supreme legal authority.
Reset break
Part 4 of 25
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 5 of 25
Learning cycle 1 of 2
From event to institution
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 6 of 25
Learn
Medieval beginnings
Kings summoned councils of nobles and clergy for advice and money. From the thirteenth century representatives of counties and towns were included, creating the beginnings of a Commons. Parliament met when the monarch chose, and its power came from one fact: the Crown could not raise enough money without it.
Explore the idea
Part 7 of 25
Learn
Becoming necessary
Under the Tudors, Parliament passed the statutes that carried out the Reformation, making it central to the biggest changes in the realm. The habit of legislating by statute meant that major policy needed parliamentary form. What began as an occasional service to the Crown became an expected part of legitimate government.
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Part 8 of 25
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 9 of 25
Quick check
Part 10 of 25
Learning cycle
Part 11 of 25
Learning cycle 2 of 2
From institution to sovereign power
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Reset break
Part 12 of 25
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 13 of 25
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Conflict and settlement
Seventeenth-century arguments over taxation, religion and the army escalated into civil war and, after 1688, a settlement in law. The Bill of Rights removed the monarch's power to suspend laws or tax alone, and the requirement for regular funding made frequent sessions unavoidable rather than optional.
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 25
Learn
Consequences and limits
By the eighteenth century ministers needed parliamentary support to govern, and the idea of parliamentary sovereignty took hold. But the franchise remained tiny and unequal, with constituencies that had almost no voters. Understanding both the achievement and the exclusion is essential to judging the period fairly.
Quick check
Part 15 of 25
Reset break
Part 16 of 25
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 17 of 25
Common mix-ups
Part 18 of 25
Common mix-ups
Things people often get wrong
- People often think Parliament was always powerful. Its power grew over centuries, mainly through control of money.
- People often assume growing parliamentary power meant democracy. Very few people could vote before the nineteenth century.
Challenge round
Part 19 of 25
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 20 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 5 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 21 of 25
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
____ met when the monarch chose, and its power came from one fact: the Crown could not raise enough money without it.
Challenge round
Part 22 of 25
Game · Recall cards
Parliament's earliest source of leverage was...
Card 1 of 4
Exit quiz
Part 23 of 25
Exit quiz
Show what you've learned
6 questions, marked together at the end. Nothing is timed.
1. The Commons originally represented...
2. A statute is...
3. Parliamentary sovereignty means Parliament holds...
4. Frequent sessions after 1688 resulted from...
5. Ministers in the eighteenth century needed...
6. A fair judgement of Parliament's growth notes both power and...
Mastery quiz
Part 24 of 25
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: The emergence and growth of Parliament
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Parliament's earliest source of leverage was...
2. The Reformation raised Parliament's status because it was enacted by...
3. The Bill of Rights removed the monarch's power to...
4. In the eighteenth century the franchise was...
Lesson round-up
Part 25 of 25
Lesson round-up
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