On This Day

English Long Parliament forms

The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which nominally lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history.

The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which nominally lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In September 1640, King Charles I issued writs summoning a parliament to convene on 3 November 1640. He intended it to pass financial bills, a step made necessary by the costs of the Bishops' Wars against Scotland. The Long Parliament received its name from the fact that, by an act of Parliament, the Parliament Act 1640 (16 Cha. 1. c.

Historical Significance

The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which nominally lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history.

Events Before

  1. Madras (now Chennai), India, is founded by the British East India Company on a sliver of land bought from local Nayak ru

    Madras (now Chennai), India, is founded by the British East India Company on a sliver of land bought from local Nayak rulers

  2. English astronomers Jeremiah Horrocks and William Crabtree make the first recorded observations of a transit of Venus by

    English astronomers Jeremiah Horrocks and William Crabtree make the first recorded observations of a transit of Venus by accurately predicting its path using Johannes Kepler's methods [1]

  3. Virginia orders half of its tobacco crop destroyed to support plunging prices and avoid an economic catastrophe, the fir

    Virginia orders half of its tobacco crop destroyed to support plunging prices and avoid an economic catastrophe, the first colony to order the destruction of crops

  4. 1st Connecticut constitution (Fundamental Orders) adopted in Hartford, published by Rodger Ludlow

    1st Connecticut constitution (Fundamental Orders) adopted in Hartford, published by Rodger Ludlow

  5. Connecticut colony organizes under Fundamental Orders

    Connecticut ( kə-NET-ih-kət) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.

Events After

  1. Dutch East India Company conquers the city of Malacca, killing about 7,000 people

    Dutch East India Company conquers the city of Malacca, killing about 7,000 people

  2. William II, Prince of Orange (14) marries English princess Mary Henrietta Stuart (9) at Whitehall Palace, London

    William II, Prince of Orange (14) marries English princess Mary Henrietta Stuart (9) at Whitehall Palace, London

  3. General Court of Election declares Rhode Island a democracy and adopts a new constitution

    General Court of Election declares Rhode Island a democracy and adopts a new constitution

  4. France and Portugal sign anti-Spanish covenant

    France and Portugal sign anti-Spanish covenant

  5. Battle at La Marfée Sedan: Earl Soisson beats French government army

    Battle at La Marfée Sedan: Earl Soisson beats French government army

More from the 1640s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 3, 1640?
The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which nominally lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In September 1640, King Charles I issued writs summoning a parliament to convene on 3 November 1640.
Why is English Long Parliament forms significant?
The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which nominally lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history.

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