Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland ( Irish Parlaimint na hÉireann , dt Parliament of Ireland ) was a legislative power in Ireland that existed from the Middle Ages to 1800. It consisted of the King of Ireland and two chambers: the Irish House of Commons and the Irish House of Lords . The House of Lords was occupied by members of the Irish high nobility ( Peerage of Ireland ), while the House of Commons was directly elected. Parliament has met in various locations in and outside Dublin over the centuries - the first recorded meeting was held on June 18, 1264 in Castledermot , County Kildare . Among the meeting places were such famous places as Dublin Castle , Bluecoat School , Chichester House . The final meeting place was the purpose-built Irish House of Parliament in College Green in central Dublin.
history
The Parliament of Ireland originally came into being in the 13th century as a representation of the Anglo-Norman landlords in Ireland. The original Gaelic residents were not represented or eligible to vote. However, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the number of English residents in Ireland fell dramatically - only a small enclave around Dublin, known as Pale , remained. Parliament thus became primarily a forum for this enclave until the 17th century. The residents of the Pale then urged the King of England to play a more prominent role in Ireland to protect them from the Gaelic-Irish nobles. By the Poynings' Law (1494) the Parliament of Ireland was subordinated to the English Parliament and lost power.
The role of the Irish Parliament changed in 1541 when Henry VIII proclaimed the "Kingdom of Ireland" and the re-conquest of Ireland by the Tudors began. The Protestant Reformation of the Tudors and the introduction of the Anglican state church changed the political picture in Ireland, as the majority of the population was still of the Roman Catholic denomination, which led to violent arguments in the Irish Parliament. From 1613 to 1615, electoral wards for Parliament were therefore set up so that the English and Scottish settlers had a majority of the members of the Irish Parliament. Now the Irish Parliament served - once again - to represent the English, but now Protestant , minority. The Anglo-Irish Parliament tried several times (unsuccessfully) to achieve independence from London . In the early 18th century it then successfully advocated being convened every two years - until now this was dependent on the whims of the British king - shortly afterwards it even achieved permanent "presence", a development similar to that of the British Parliament. Furthermore, the parliament fought for greater powers over the (higher) British parliament as well as better trading conditions with Great Britain.
Many public ceremonies in Ireland were based on the British Parliament. Parliamentary season officially opened with the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland's speech from the throne seated on a purple velvet throne. During the sessions of Parliament, the wealthiest Anglo-Irish elite moved to Dublin as this period was often accompanied by balls and celebrations. Members of the aristocracy in particular flocked to Dublin, where they lived in huge and richly decorated houses - initially in the northern part of Dublin, later in the new Georgian residences around Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam Square . Their presence in the city led to a real economic boom.
The Irish House of Lords
The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland . It also acted as the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Ireland.
The House of Lords was presided over by Lord Chancellor of Ireland, who sat on the so-called "wool sack" - a very large chair with no arms or back and its purple upholstery with wool from all three "lands" of the United Kingdom ( England, Scotland, Ireland) was filled.
The Irish House of Commons
The members of the lower house were directly elected, but with very limited voting rights. Roman Catholics were forbidden to sit in parliament even though they made up the majority of the population. This lockout also affected the Presbyterians in Ulster . These sections of the population were not allowed to vote for the lower house until the 1890s.
The Irish executive under the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was not subordinate to the House of Commons but directly to the British government. The House of Commons was chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons, who was elected directly from among the members of the House of Commons - he was the ruling person in Parliament.
Abolition of Parliament
Through the Act of Union 1800 and as part of the associated unification of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on January 1, 1801, the Irish Parliament was dissolved and instead the two houses of the existing Parliament of the United Kingdom in the Palace of Westminster added Irish MPs. Instead of the Irish House of Lords, four Bishops of the Church of Ireland and 28 Representative Peers to be elected from among the Irish Peers were sent to the British House of Lords . Instead of the Irish House of Commons, 100 Irish MPs were sent to the British House of Commons , which has a total of 658 MPs . For the implementation of the Act of Union, it is necessary that both the Irish and UK Parliaments approve this law. Both houses of the Irish Parliament approved the law on March 28, 1800, resolving their own dissolution. After the British Parliament had approved the law on July 2nd, 1800, George III. on August 1, 1800 the royal approval whereby the Act of Union was legally enacted. The Irish Parliament met for the last time on August 2, 1800 and dissolved with effect from January 1, 1801.
See also
- History of Ireland
- Category: Member of the Irish House of Lords
- Category: Member of the Irish House of Commons
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c G. C. Bolton: The passing of the Irish act of union. A study in parliamentary politics. Oxford University Press, London 1966.
literature
- Edith Mary Johnston-Liik: History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800. Commons, Constituencies and Statutes. 6 volumes, Ulster Historical Foundation, Belfast 2002.
Web links
- History of the irish parliament at Ulster Historical Foundation
- Irish Legislation Database at Queen's University Belfast