The Oxford Parliament (1258), also known as the "Mad Parliament" and the "First English Parliament", assembled during the reign of Henry III of England. The parlour or prolocutor (Speaker) was Peter de Montfort. Henry III (October 1, 1207 – November 16, 1272) is one of the least-known British monarchs, considering the great length of his reign. ... In the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the Lower House of Parliament, the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. ... Peter de Montfort (died 1265) is said to have presided over a meeting of the British House of Commons at a Parliament held in Oxford in 1258 (dubbed by the supporters of Henry III as the Mad Parliament). He is the earliest person recorded as the presiding officer of the...

Parliaments, sometimes as informally assembled as a "parley" would be, were scenes of negotiations between Henry and the barons, who had tasted rule by aristocracy during Henry's minority. Parliaments had been held in a series since 1246, as Henry's position weakened.

In this parliament the great magnates' disaffection with the King reached breaking point: shortly after the Parliament adjourned, a group of barons, led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, forced King Henry to accept a new form of government, laid out in the Provisions of Oxford, in which power was placed in the hands of a privy council, a Council of Fifteen members who were to supervise ministerial appointments, local administration and the custody of royal castles. Parliament, meanwhile, which was to meet three times a year, would monitor the performance of this council. Oaths of fealty were to be sworn to King and Council. Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (1208 – August 4, 1265) was the principal leader of the baronial opposition to king Henry III of England. ... In 1258 a group of barons, led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, forced King Henry III of England to accept a new form of government in which power was placed in the hands of a council of 15 members who were to supervise ministerial appointments, local administration... A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, especially in a monarchy. ...

See also

• List of Parliaments of England

This is a list of Parliaments of England from the reign of Henry VII to 1707. ...

External links

BBC: On the Speaker of the House