The Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, 1275

The rolls of parliament were the official records of the meetings of the English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) until the reign of Henry VII (1485-1509), after which they were superseded by the journals of the lords, and, somewhat later, the commons. This volume contains the records of the parliaments held during the reign of Edward II, between October 1307 and November 1325. The parliament of January 1327, which was called in the name of Edward II, was instead treated as the first parliament of the reign of Edward III. It covers a very eventful reign, which was marked by political conflict, strong personal enmities and civil war, wars with Scotland and France, and the unprecedented deposition of the king in 1327 - all events reflected, directly or indirectly, within the Rolls. An Introduction to each of the Parliaments during this period discusses the political context in which it was held; the purpose for which it was summoned; who was summoned; and analyzes the proceedings of the parliament both as recorded in the Parliament Rolls (several of which have not previously been published) and in other sources, such as royal records and chronicles. Seymour Phillips is Professor of History, University College Dublin.