试论16世纪英国议会的变化

On the Changes of English Parliament in the 16th Century

在经济和社会大变革的背景下,16世纪的英国议会发生了重大变化。首先,随着封建贵族的没落和乡绅的兴起,上院开始衰落,下院开始崛起,议会的内部格局由此发生了颠覆性变化;其次,在宗教改革的推动下,立法开始成为议会的主要职能,议会由此成为社会各方关注的中心;在二者的影响下,议会的性质也发生了深刻变化,成为乡绅阶层反抗王权的阵地。议会的上述变化为其在下个世纪取得英国革命的胜利奠定了基础。

Under the background of economic and social changed, the English parliament had a great change in the 16th century. First, as the fall of the feudal barons and the rise of the gentry, the Lords began to decline, lower house began to rise, so a major change happened in the internal structure of the parliament; Second, in the promotion of the Reformation, legislation became the main function of the parliament, which became the central focus of social parties; In their influ ences, the nature of the parliament also had the profound change, which became the position of the gentry against the kingship. The above changes of the parliament lay the foundation for its victory of the English Revolution in the next century.