Impeachment in the Medieval English Parliament

This article explores four cases of impeaching high officials of the Kingdom of England. The first impeachment occurred in 1376 and was legally codified in 1383 and 1386. The law however was not used again until 1450. After another long break, impeachment was properly developed in the Stuart period and from 1621 it became an effective tool of confronting the abuses of power by royal favourites, ministerial misgovernance and other forms of damage done to the king and the kingdom. While demanding the punishment of guilty individuals, the members of the Parliament insisted not only on the financial compensation of damages but also tried to establish the principle of the announcement of the appointments in the Parliament. Although the notion of ministerial accountability developed only later, the monarchs drastically rejected any attempts to limit their right to appoint their own candidates to offices and control their activities.

Keywords

the Middle Ages, Parliament, impeachment, accusation, corruption, court, treason

Received

02.06.2023

Publication date

12.09.2023

Number of characters

39455

Cite

GOST	Kalmykova E. Impeachment in the Medieval English Parliament // ISTORIYA – 2023. – V. 14. – Issue 7 (129) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840026926-7-1 (circulation date: 09.12.2023). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840026926-7
MLA	Kalmykova, Elena "Impeachment in the Medieval English Parliament." ISTORIYA 14.7 (129) (2023) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840026926-7
APA	Kalmykova E. (2023). Impeachment in the Medieval English Parliament. ISTORIYA 14(7 (129)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840026926-7

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 42

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Tsvetkova Eh. A. Impichmenty i parlamentskaya kul'tura v Anglii pervoj poloviny XVII v.: Diss. na soiskanie stepeni magistra po napravleniyu 46.04.01 «Istoriya». Sankt-Peterburgskij gosudarstvennyj universitet. SPb., 2016. Na pravakh rukopisi.

2. The Anonimalle chronicle, 1333—1381 / ed. V. H. Galbraith. Manchester, 1927.

3. Aston M. The Impeachment of Bishop Despenser // Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research. T. 38. 1965. P. 127—148.

4. Calendar of Close Rolls, Richard II: Vol. 2: 1381—1385 / ed. H. C. Maxwell Lyte. L., 1920.

5. Capgrave John. The Chronicle of England / ed. F. Ch. Hingeston. Oxford, 1858.

6. Chronicon Angliae, ab anno Domini 1328 usque ad 1388 auctore monacho sancti Albani / ed. E. M. Thompson. L.,1874.

7. Clarke M. V. The Lancastrian Faction and the Wonderful Parliament // Fourteenth Century Studies / eds. L. S. Sutherland, M. McKisack. Oxford, 1967. P. 36—52.

8. Corbin P., Sedge D. Thomas of Woodstock or King Richard the Second. Part One. Manchester, 2002.

9. Duls L. D. Richard II in the early chronicles. The Hague, 1975.

10. An English Chronicle of the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI / ed. J. S. Davies. L., 1856.

11. Eulogium historiarum sive temporis: 3 vols / ed. F. S. Haydon. L., 1859—1863.

12. Goodman A. The Loyal Conspiracy: The Lords appellant under Richard II. L., 1971.

13. Grafton Richard. Chronicle or history of England to which is added his table of the bailiffs, seriffs and mayers of the city of London, 1189—1558: 2 vols / ed. H. Ellis. L., 1809.

14. Historia vitae et regni Ricardi Secundi / ed. T. Hearne. L., 1729.

15. Knighton’s Chronicle 1337—1396 / ed. and transl. G. H. Martin. Oxford, 1995.

16. Lewis N. B. Article VII of the Impeachment of Michael de la Pole in 1386 // The English Historical Review. 1927. Vol. 43. P. 402—407.

17. Otterbourne Thomas. Chronicle // Duo Rerum Anglicarum scriptores veteres / ed. Th. Hearne. Vol. I. Oxford, 1732.

18. Palmer J. J. N. The Parliament of 1385 and the constitutional crisis of 1386 // Speculum. 1971. T. 46 (3). P. 477—490.

19. The Paston Letters / ed. J. Gairdner. Vol. I. L., 1904.

20. Plucknett Th. F. Th. The Impeachment of 1367 // Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. Ser 5. 1951. Vol. 1. P. 153—164.

21. Ramsay J. H. Lancaster and York: 2 vols. Oxford, 1892.

22. Rogers A. Parliamentary appeals of treason in the reign of Richard II // American Journal of Legal History. 1964. Vol. 8 (2). P. 95—124.

23. Roskell J. S. The Impeachment of Michael de la Pole, earl of Suffolk in 1386: in the context of the reign of Richard II. Manchester, 1984.

24. Rotuli Parliamentorum / ed. J. Strachey. Vol. II, III, V. L., 1767.

25. Saul P. Richard II. New Haven; L., 1999.

26. Sherborne J. The Defence of the realm and Michael de la Pole // War, politics and culture in Fourteenth-Century England / ed. A. Tuck. L., 1994. P. 99–118.

27. Stow G. B. The Impeachment of Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, in 1386 in the Context of the Reign of Richard II // Manuscripta. 1985. Vol. 29 (2). P. 125—127.

28. Three Fifteenth-century chronicles / ed. J. Gardner. Westminster, 1880.

29. Walsingham Thomas. Historia Anglicana. Chronica monasterii S. Albani: 2 vols / ed. H. Rily. L., 1863—1865.

30. Watts J. Pole, William de la, first duke of Suffolk (1396—1450) // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford, 2004 (data obrascheniya: 08.06.2023).

31. The Westminster chronicle / ed. and trans. L. C. Hector and B. F. Harvey. Oxford, 1982.