What is Parliament of England?
[[File:Medieval parliament edward.Jpg|thumb|300px|English parliament in front of the king c. 1300]] The '''Parliament of England''' was the [[legislature]] of the [[Kingdom of England]]. Its [[root]]s go back to the early [[medieval]] period. It took over more and more from the power of the [[King of England|monarch]]. Its existence ended in 1707. After the [[Act of Union 1707]] became the main part of the [[Parliament of Great Britain]], and later the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. The other nations of the United Kingdom ([[Scotland]], [[Wales]], and [[Northern Ireland]]) each has a legislature of its own. This is called [[devolution]]. England does not have such a legislature today. == History == === Origins === The origin of Parliament can be found in the times of the [[Anglo-Saxons]]. Anglo-Saxon kings were [[advice|advised]] by a [[council]] known as the ''Witenagemot'', to which belonged the King's sons and brothers. The [[Ealdormen]], or executive heads of the [[shire]] and the senior clergymen of the state, had seats as well. The King still had the highest [[authority]], but [[law]]s were made only after seeking the advice (and, in later times, the [[consent]]) of the ''Witenagemot''. === Development === The royal council slowly grew into a Parliament. The first time the word ''Parliament'' can be found in official documents was during [[Henry III of England|Henry III]]'s reign. It was still mostly informal, and not an official body. The right to vote in Parliamentary elections for [[county]] [[constituency|constituencies]] was the same everywhere in the country, giving a vote to everyone who owned the [[Freehold (law)|freehold]] of land to a [[Renting|rent]] of 40 [[shilling]]s a year ([[Forty-shilling Freeholders]]). The rise of Parliament's power was slowed down by [[civil war]] between [[Stephen of England|Stephen]] and [[Empress Matilda]]. By the end of the [[Wars of the Roses]], the king had the strongest authority again. The Crown was at the height of its power during the reign of [[