The first English Parliament called by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester in the reign of King Henry III, met in the hall at Westminster on 20 January 1265.

Although councils of great landholders had been held earlier, this was the first in which the Commons were represented; there being present two knights from each country and two citizens for each borough. Ever since the Commons have had their share in matters of state.

What does the word Parliament mean?

The word Parliament means an event arranged to talk and discuss things, from the French word "parler".

Parliament Today

The two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) are based at Houses of Parliament (also known as the Palace of Westminster), in London.

Houses of Parliament - where the UK Government sits

Parliament decides the laws and make decisions on running the UK. (Some issues in Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland are now dealt with by their respective parliaments and assemblies.)

Links

What is Parliament?

The UK Government

Also on this day ......

Vasant Panchami / Saraswati Puja (Hindu)
This festival marks the first day of spring and is held to worship Sarawati, the goddess of learning. It is also known as Magh Sukla Panchami as it falls in the month of Magh (January-February)

20 January 2009: Barack Obama, inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, became the United State's first African American president.