What did a meeting of the English Parliament look like 500 years ago? The earliest-known image of a state opening offers important clues, but also requires careful interpretation, as Dr Paul Hunneyball of our Lords 1558-1603 section explains… The picture shown below is the oldest near-contemporary image of an English Parliament that we know of. As such it has almost iconic status, and has been … Continue reading Picturing the Parliament of 1523
Today is the anniversary of the battle of Towton, a violent battle in 1461 which resulted in Edward IV claiming the throne from Henry VI. The battle is often thought to be the bloodiest ever fought on British soil, but is this really the case? Dr Simon Payling, Senior Research Fellow in our Commons 1461-1504 section explores… The battle of Towton on 29 March 1461 … Continue reading Was the battle of Towton as bloody as all that?
Today’s post is the first in our special series of blogs for this year’s Parliament Week: Reporting Parliament throughout the ages. Dr Hannes Kleineke, Senior Research Fellow in our Commons 1422-1504 project, describes how medieval constituents kept up to date with parliamentary business… The evidence for the medieval English parliament, more limited than for other periods of its existence, can give it a somewhat unreal … Continue reading Reporting Parliament in the Later Middle Ages
