ORIGINS OF THE

BRITISH
PARLIAMENT
Made by Baranova Katerina A-34
Parliament is one of the oldest and most
honored parts of the British government
Kings in the Middle Ages would often consult their
barons before making important decisions. But
some kings chose to ignore the advice of their
barons. When this led to bad things happening, the
barons became angry.
This is one of the reasons why the barons rebelled
against King John and On June 10, 1215, Magna
Carta, the Great Charter was signed. It was an
important symbol of political freedom as this
program gave the barons a more positive and
permanent share in the government as well the
right to a fair and legal trial.
To Rebel-восстать
When Henry III, came to the throne he tried to concentrate all power in his hands
and again and again demanded money from the Great Council. As barons refused to
grant money, a Civil war began. The king supported by a group of powerful barons
was defeated by Simon de Monfort, leader of the lesser barons, at the battle of
Lewes in 1264. The term “Parliament” originally meant “ a meeting for parley or
discussion”.
In 1295, the so-called “model
Parliament” was created which
consisted of the members of the
Great Council as well as two
knights from each county, two
burgesses from each borough, and
two citizens from each city. 
From the 14th century, Parliament consisted
of two chambers, the House of Lords (the
"upper" house) and the House of
Commons (the "lower" house) . But in the
middle of the 17th century , King Charles
1st precipitated the English Civil War - the
English Revolution - by trying to rule
without Parliament.
The Civil War opposed the Royalist forces
and the Parliamentary forces, under the
command of Oliver Cromwell; it ended in
the victory of the Parliamentarians . From
then on, the English Parliament was firmly
established as an essential force in the
running of the country.
In 1660 Parliament declared the restoration
of the monarchy and established a system
of parliamentary monarchy. Parliament's
power was however quickly put to the test,
and in 1688 Parliament deposed King
James II and invited Dutch prince William
of Orange to take the crown of England.
The success of the "Glorious Revolution"
confirmed the role of the English
Parliament, a role that was constitutionally
defined the following year by the signing
of the Deed of Rights or Bill of Rights .

To depose-свергнуть
Bill of Rights , one of the major constitutional acts of
the United Kingdom. This Bill (new law) formally
established the role of parliament and the limits of royal
power. This was the beginning of the modern
parliament, with its system of political parties.
During the 19th century, parliamentary power became increasingly concentrated in the
hands of the House of Commons;
at the beginning of the century, most Prime Ministers came from the House of Lords
(Lords North and Liverpool, the Duke of Wellington);
but by the end of the century, the British government was largely in the hands of Prime
Ministers chosen from elected members of the House of Commons.
By the 20th Century, the Commons had fully established their dominance over the Lords, a
power balance that has remained to this day.
Parliament is made up of three
parts:
◦ The Queen
◦ The House of Lords
◦ The House of Commons
 The Queen
The Queen is the official Head of State.
Britain has a constitutional monarchy
where the Queen only rules
symbolically; in reality, power belongs
to Parliament. So, although the Queen
'opens' Parliament each year and laws
are passed in her name
The Queen herself plays no part in
determining decisions made in
Parliament.
The Queen has the final say on whether
a bill becomes law.
 The House of Lords
The House of Lords is made up of people
who have inherited family titles and
those who have been given titles because
of their outstanding work in one field or
another. There are 675 members of the
Lords.
Who sits in the House of Lords?
◦ A person who sits in the House of
Lords is a peer
What is the job of the peers in the
House of Lords?
◦ The main job of the House of Lords is
to 'double check' new laws to make
sure they are fair and will work.
 The House of Commons
Who sits in the House of Commons?
◦ A person who sits in the House of Commons is
called a Member of Parliament (MP).
◦ The House of Commons has 650 members
(MPs) who have been elected by local residents
to represent an area of the country in
Parliament.
◦ Each MP represents one of 650 constituencies
(areas) in the UK and is a member of a political
party, such as New Labour or the Conservative
party.
What happens in the House of Commons?
◦ The Commons is the most important place for
discussing policies and making laws.