Unlike the House of Commons, which underwent major ‘democratic’ reform in the 19th century, the Lords remained virtually unchanged during the entire Victorian period. With a new hereditary peers bill now entering its final stages, Dr Philip Salmon explores how and why the House of Lords was able to survive the ‘age of reform’, highlighting […]
Anne Boleyn, the second of Henry VIII’s six wives, is arguably the most famous. In 1523, she was betrothed to Henry Percy, the son of the Earl of Northumberland, but the engagement was abruptly called off. At the time, Anne was serving as a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife. […]
Marking the anniversary of the passage of the 1883 Corrupt Practices Act, Dr Kathryn Rix, assistant editor of the House of Commons, 1832-1945, begins a series of blog posts on this landmark reform by looking at the key changes made by the act and the motivations behind it. On 25 August 1883, the final day […]
Catherine remained in limbo until Parliament introduced on January 29, 1542 a Bill of Attainder, which was passed on February 7, 1542. The Royal Assent by Commission Act 1541 made it treason, and punishable by death, for a Queen Consort to fail to disclose her sexual history to the king within 20 days of their […]
Letter from Catherine Howard to Thomas Culpeper During the investigation a love letter written in the Queen’s distinctive handwriting was found in Culpeper’s chambers. This is the only letter of hers that has survived (other than her later “confession”). On All Saints’ Day, November 1, 1541, the King arranged to be found praying in the […]
Catherine Howard (c. 1523 – February 13, 1542), also spelt Katheryn Howard, was Queen of England and Ireland from 1540 until 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England and Ireland. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second wife of King Henry […]
King James II-VII’s departure during the Glorious Revolution significantly shifted the balance of power in favour of Prince Willem III of Orange, who took control of the provisional government on December 28th. Elections were held in early January for a Convention Parliament, which assembled on January 29th. The Whigs had a slight majority in the […]
Prince Albert spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Prince Edward, the heir apparent. Albert attended naval college as a teenager and served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during the First World War. In 1920, he was made Duke of York. He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923. […]
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; December 14, 1895 – February 6, 1952) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from December 11, 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of India from 1936 until the British Raj […]
King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland was the second son of King James VI of Scotland and Princess Anne of Denmark, the second daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark and Princess Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Prince Charles was born in Dunfermline Palace, Fife, on November 19, 1600. At a Protestant ceremony in the […]
The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from May 8, 1661 until January 24, 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Like its predecessor, the Convention Parliament, […]
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; May 24, 1819 – January 22, 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 20, 1837 until her death. On May 1, 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Known as the Victorian era, her reign of 63 years and seven months was […]
Exactly when did Duke William II “The Conqueror” of Normandy become King of the English? Although he certainly became the De Facto King of the English when he defeated King Harold II Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in October of 1066, it was not until his coronation on Christmas Day of that year did […]
From 1531, the Princess Mary was often sick with irregular menstruation and depression, although it is not clear whether this was caused by stress, puberty or a more deep-seated disease. She was not permitted to see her mother, whom King Henry VIII had sent to live away from court. In early 1533, King Henry VIII […]
The Co-operative Party was founded in 1917, volunteer interviewer Peter Reilly reflects on his recent oral history interview with David Lepper, a former ‘Labour Coop’ MP and what it meant to be a member of the Co-operative Party. Recent interviews I have conducted for the History of Parliament Trust Oral History Project remind us that […]
Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert”. - J Robert Oppenheimer.
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