Editing Parliament (section)

====''Magna Carta'' and the model parliament====
[[File:Magna Carta (British Library Cotton MS Augustus II.106).jpg|thumb|A 1215 edition of ''[[Magna Carta]]'', as featured on display at the British Library]]
The tenants-in-chief often struggled for power with the ecclesiastics and the king. In 1215, they secured ''[[Magna Carta]]'' from [[John of England|King John of England]]. This established that the king may not levy or collect any taxes (except the feudal taxes to which they were hitherto accustomed), save with the consent of a council. It was also established that the most important tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics be summoned to the council by personal writs from the sovereign, and that all others be summoned to the council by general writs from the [[sheriff]]s of their counties. Modern government has its origins in the Curia Regis; parliament descends from the Great Council, later known as the ''parliamentum'', established by ''Magna Carta''.

During the reign of [[Henry III of England|King Henry III]] (13th century), [[Parliament of England|English Parliaments]] included elected representatives from shires and towns. Thus these parliaments are considered forerunners of the modern parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/originsofparliament/birthofparliament/overview/firstparliaments/ |title=Birth of the English Parliament: The first Parliaments |publisher=Parliament.uk |access-date=13 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013132032/http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/originsofparliament/birthofparliament/overview/firstparliaments/ |archive-date=13 October 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 1265, [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]], then in rebellion against Henry III, summoned [[Simon de Montfort's Parliament|a parliament]] of his supporters without royal authorisation. The [[archbishop]]s, [[bishop]]s, [[abbot]]s, [[earl]]s, and [[baron]]s were summoned, as were two [[knight]]s from each shire and two [[burgess (title)|burgesses]] from each [[borough]]. Knights had been summoned to previous councils, but it was unprecedented for the boroughs to be represented. In 1295, [[Edward I of England|Edward I]]  adopted De Montfort's ideas for representation and election in the so-called "[[Model Parliament]]". At first, each [[Estates of the realm|estate]] debated independently; by the reign of [[Edward III of England|Edward III]], however, Parliament had grown closer to its modern form, with the legislative body having two separate chambers.