Good Parliament

The Good Parliament is the name given to the English Parliament that met in 1376. It sat in Westminster from April 28 to July 10, making it the longest parliament up to that time. During this period, many people in England felt that the government was not working well and was full of unfair practices.

This parliament became very important because the members spoke up about many problems. They talked about high taxes, poor leadership, and a feeling that many leaders were not honest. They wanted to make big changes to improve how the country was run.

One big challenge for the Good Parliament was John of Gaunt, who was the fourth son of Edward III. At the time, he was one of the most powerful people in England and did not want big changes to happen. Even with this challenge, the Good Parliament showed strong efforts to make things better for everyone.

In session

Parliament had not met for a long time, since November 1373. In 1376, King Edward III needed money for the war, so he called Parliament to meet. The people who came were very concerned about problems in the government and wanted things to change.

Peter de la Mare, who spoke for the group representing the people, talked about the failures in the war and the problems in the king's court. The group refused to give money unless some important leaders were removed. Two men thought to be stealing from the treasury were put in prison. The king's friend was also asked to leave the court.

Even after these changes, the group still did not agree to give money for the war. Parliament ended on July 6.

Aftermath

After the Good Parliament ended, John of Gaunt tried to change what it had done. He did not let new council members join the king and put Peter de la Mare in prison in Nottingham. He also dismissed the new council and brought back Latimer. Alice of Perrers was allowed back with the king. John also went after William of Wykeham.

In 1377, John called another parliament, known as the Bad Parliament. He tried to cancel the Good Parliament and remove its decisions from the records. Even so, people outside the royal court liked the Good Parliament because it listened to many complaints and removed some advisers who were not popular.