Parliament and the People in Medieval England. (October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Maddicott, J.R.
• Is Part Of: Parliamentary history. Volume 35:Part 3(2016)
• Page Start: 336
• Page End: 351
• Publication Date: 2016-10
• Subjects: Commons -- elections -- peasants -- villeins -- representation -- Black Death -- county court -- petition -- burgesses -- freeholders -- labour laws -- statutes; History -- Periodicals; 328.4109
• DOI: 10.1111/1750-0206.12239
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-2824

Abstract

Abstract : This article traces the relationship between parliament and the ordinary people of medieval England, mainly peasants but including townsmen, between about 1270 and 1450. In charting the early history of representation prior to 1270, it outlines the transition from representation of the people by the country's magnates, to the socially broader system of representation through the election of shire knights and town burgesses. Two themes emerge: the growth of the electorate, from the probable presence of freeholders among the electors in the county court under Edward I, to the enfranchisement of the 40 s . freeholders by the famous statute of 1430; and the changing nature of petitions to parliament, from the complaints of individuals to those presented by the Commons on behalf of the nation. In the history of both these themes, the Black Death and subsequent plagues marked a turning point. In drastically reducing the population, the plagues brought prosperity to many of the peasant survivors – men who sought a place among the electorate in the early 15th century. And in threatening the income of the gentry through higher labour costs, the plagues fundamentally changed the attitude of the Commons in parliament towards the people. Until about 1350, the Commons had spoken up for their interests, in the face of Edward III's oppressive wartime demands; but from that time onwards, the Commons set their collective face against the rising claims of a potentially more prosperous people. The article pays special attention to the position of the villeins, whose relationship with parliament differed considerably from that of the freeholders.