英美概况课外阅读：亨利三世与议会的开端

约翰王无视大宪章，不久他就召集军队洗劫北方。贵族们转而求助于法国国王路易斯向约翰报仇。但 约翰于 1216 年去世，未引起更多的麻烦。

King John defied Magna Carta. Soon he raised troops and ravaged the

north. The barons retaliated by turning to Louis of France for help, but John died in 1216 before he could causeany more trouble.

他的儿子亨利三世( 1216-1272)比他强不了多少。最重要的教会职务和国家职务都由他宠信的外国人担任。1242 年他发动对法战争，代价昂贵， 丢失了整个普瓦固地区。1258 年国王又索要金钱以助其儿子加冕为西西里国王，使矛盾发展到顶点。

His son, Henry III (1216-1272), proved little better. He filled the most important offices in Church and State with foreign favourites who flocked to England after his marriage to Eleanor of Provence. In 1242 he undertook an expensive war with France, which ended with the loss of the whole of Poitou. In 1258 the King's demands for money to enable his son to be crowned King of Sicily brought matters to a head.

贵族们在亨利三世的内兄西蒙.德.孟福尔的领导下反叛，迫使国王和其 ·干儿子爱德华王子宣誓接受" 牛津协定"。其主要的两条条款是:亨利应任命 2 人组成的新的大评议会，其成员一半应由贵族提名;国王应有一个由 15 位贵族 和主教组成的永久咨询团，没有此团授权，国王不可单独行动。

The barons, under Simon de Montfort, Henry III’s brother-in-law, rebelled. They forced the king and his son Prince Edward to swear to accept the Provisions of Oxford. The two main clauses of the Provisions of Oxford were these: Henry should appoint a new Grand Council of twenty-four members, half of whom were to be nominated by the barons 1 9themselves; and the King should have a permanent body of fifteen nobles and bishops to advise him, without

whose authority the king could not act.

亨利反对封建贵族的要求，拒绝批准牛津协定。国王的支持者(大部分为外国雇佣兵) 和西蒙.德.孟福尔领导的封建主组成的军队之间爆发了内战。1264 年 5 月，在苏塞克斯郡的刘易斯战役中，国王被孟福尔打败并被俘虏。

Henry refused to confirm to the Provisions of Oxford. A civil war broke out between the king' s supporters, mostly foreign mercenaries, and the baronial army led by Simon de Montfort. At the battle of Lewes in Sussex in May, 1264 the king was defeated by De Montfort and taken prisoner.

战后国王和爱德华王子被关在监狱里。1265 年西蒙.德.孟福尔在威斯教斯特召集大评议会开会，各县 有两名骑士，各镇有两名市民参加，此次会议被看作是最早的议会。

After this battle, while the King and Prince Edward were kept in prison, Simon de Montfort summoned in 1265 the Great council to meet at Westminster, together with two knights from each county and two burgesses (citizen-s) from each town, a meeting which has been seen as that of the earliest parliament.

古撒克逊时代的国王只有咨询团体(贤人会议) ，只由大人物组成，轻易就被解散。现在的大坪议会要 求各县派两名骑士、各镇派两名代表 参加。大评议会发展到后来演变为议会，分为上议院和下议院。逐 渐地大评议习惯在泰晤士河畔的威斯敏斯特皇宫会议厅里举行。在此后的很长时期，总是只邀请封建主和主教(上院)开会，而骑士和市民只在特殊场合才被邀出席。 两院后来才越来越多地召开会议讨论税收。

In ancient Saxon times kings had only an advisory body (Witan), which was composed only of great men and easily dismissed. Now each county was asked to send two knights and each town two representatives to the Great Council. The Great Council developed later into the Lords and the Commons known as a parliament. Gradually it became customary that the meetings of the Great Council were held at Westminster in the hall of the royal palace, on the banks of the Thames. For a long time afterwards the barons and bishops (the "Lords") were always invited while the knights and burgesses were invited only on special occasions. Increasingly both Houses were called to agree to taxation.

下院可以向国王呈递请愿书，实际上这就是最早的议案。议长奔走于两院之间联络并约束议员们。甚 至当今的皇室对法律的批准仍用法语书写"国王御准"。这时的议会只有皇室邀请才能召开，其作用是咨询 而非决定；也没有选举和政党。国会最重要的部分是上院，这种情况一直延续到近代。