The Wars of the Roses

UK Parliament Structure

• The House of Commons has a fixed number of members.
• The House of Lords is larger than the House of Commons.
• The House of Lords is the second-largest legislative chamber in the world.

State Opening of Parliament

• The King's Speech is delivered during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords.

UK Judicial System

• The House of Lords acted as the final court of appeal in the UK judicial system before the establishment of the Supreme Court.
• The House of Lords has a Church of England role and must table Church Measures within it.

History of the House of Lords

• The House of Lords developed from the medieval institution of the Curia Regis.
• The power of the nobility declined during the 14th to 16th centuries.
• The monarch Henry VIII symbolized the supremacy of the monarch with the 'Crown Imperial'.
• The House of Lords remained more powerful during the reign of Henry VIII.

English Civil War

• The English Civil War occurred in the 1640s due to the conflict between King Charles I and Parliament.

Abolition and Restoration of the House of Lords

• The House of Lords was abolished by an Act of Parliament in 1649.
• The House of Lords returned to its former position as the more powerful chamber of Parliament in 1660.

Power of the House of Lords

• The Parliament Act 1911 decreased the power of the House of Lords and increased the power of the House of Commons.
• The House of Lords meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
• Membership in the House of Lords is generally attained through appointment by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Modern House of Lords

• Since 1999, membership of the House of Lords has not been attainable on a purely hereditary basis.
• The House of Lords has the same functions as the House of Commons, including introducing and amending bills, and approving government expenditures.
• The House of Lords can delay but not prevent bills from passing into law.
• The House of Lords acts as a 'revising chamber' to scrutinize and amend bills passed by the House of Commons.
• Peers in the House of Lords are not typically selected to serve as government ministers.

Historical Events and Reforms

• The King's patronage of 'pocket boroughs' allowed them to control a considerable part of the membership of the House of Commons.
• In 1831, the House of Lords blocked a Reform Bill passed by the House of Commons, leading to the creation of new pro-Reform peers.
• The Lords who opposed the reform bill resigned before the new peers were created.
• In 1868, the Lords themselves effected a reform that removed the right of spiritual peers to take part in the business of the House.
• The Parliament Act 1911 effectively abolished the power of the House of Lords to veto bills passed by the House of Commons.
• The primary campaign issue for the Liberals in the election of 1906 was the reform of the House of Lords.
• The Asquith Government proposed to limit the powers of the House of Lords, leading to the passage of the Parliament Act 1911.