Knights of the shires in the context of 23 Hen. 6

Knights of the shires in the context of 23 Hen. 6

⭐ Core Definition: Knights of the shires

Knight of the shire (Latin: milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ended the practice of each county (or shire) forming a single constituency. The corresponding titles for other MPs were burgess in a borough constituency (or citizen if the borough had city status) and baron for a Cinque Ports constituency. Knights of the shire had more prestige than burgesses, and sitting burgesses often stood for election for the shire in the hope of increasing their standing in Parliament.

The name "knight of the shire" originally implied that the representative had to be a knight, and the writ of election referred to a belted knight until the 19th century; but by the 14th century men who were not knights were commonly elected. An act of Henry VI (23 Hen. 6. c. 14) stipulated that those eligible for election were knights and "such notable esquires and gentlemen as have estates sufficient to be knights, and by no means of the degree of yeoman".

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Knights of the shires in the context of Simon de Montfort's Parliament

Simon de Montfort's Parliament was an English parliament held from 20 January 1265 until mid-March of the same year, called by Simon de Montfort, a baronial rebel leader.

Montfort had seized power in England following his victory over Henry III at the Battle of Lewes during the Second Barons' War, but his grip on the country was under threat. To gain more support, he summoned not only the barons and the knights of the shires, as in previous parliaments, but also burgesses from the major towns. They discussed radical reforms and temporarily stabilised Montfort's political situation. Montfort was killed at the Battle of Evesham later that year, but the idea of inviting both knights and burgesses to parliaments became more popular under Henry's son Edward I. By the 14th century, it had become the norm, with the gathering becoming known as the House of Commons.

View the full Wikipedia page for Simon de Montfort's Parliament
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← Simon de Montfort's Parliament
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Latin language → Member of parliament → County constituency → House of Commons of the United Kingdom → Parliament of England → Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 → Counties of the United Kingdom → Shire → Constituency → Burgess (title) → Borough constituency → Citizen → City status in the United Kingdom → Barons of the Cinque Ports → Cinque ports parliament constituencies → Knight → Writ of election → Henry VI of England → 23 Hen. 6 → Esquire → Gentlemen → Estate (law) → Yeoman →