This excellent short survey looks at the workings of parliament under the first four Tudor monarchs. After an introductory first section which looks at parliament's medieval origins, the author then considers all aspects of early parliamentary history - including the historiography of the early Tudor parliaments, membership and attendance, the legislative roles of the Lords and Commons and the specific parliaments themselves.
Chapter 1 The Historiography of the Tudor Parliaments: A Critical Analysis; Chapter 2 The Tudor Parliaments: Procedures, Records, Personnel and Privileges; Chapter 3 The Pre-reformation Parliaments, 1485–1529; Chapter 4 The Reformation Parliaments I, 1529–1553; Chapter 5 The Reformation Parliaments II, 1553–1558: the Years of Change; Chapter 6 The Early Elizabethan Parliaments, 1559–1566/7; Chapter 7 The Elizabethan Parliaments: The Era of Lord Burghley, 1571–1597; Chapter 8 Epilogue;
`Any student attempting to understand the current state of Tudor parliamentary history needs this book.... The striking merit of this book is that it brings everyone up to date in a single swoop. 'History