Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/214

 202 THE LATER MIDDLE AGES The most striking fact however was the new character which was given to parliament by the creation or development of representa- Representa- tion. The great barons in their own interests would tion, 1265. naturally attend the Council ; not so the smaller barons, minor land-holders and townsmen. The innovation which was introduced simply as a matter of convenience, was the summoning of elected representatives, first from the shires, and then from the boroughs, also by Simon de Montfort. In this way a body of men was regularly assembled, who could combine to express the opinion of the free citizens and land-holders, and that opinion could make itself effectively felt. We have also to note that while the kingdom of Scotland remained independent, though her king still paid homage to the . king of England for lands held in England as the kings of England did homage to the kings of France for lands held in France, Ireland had become a part of the English king's dominion in the reign of Henry n. Ireland itself was not a kingdom, but was composed of a number of very loosely related principalities. Partly by conquest and partly by marriages, sundry Norman barons were permitted to take possession of great estates in Ireland for which King Henry required them to do him homage ; and homage was also exacted from the native Irish chiefs. Henry called himself Lord of Ireland instead of king, as authority to take possession was supposed to have been granted to him by the pope, Hadrian iv. Lastly, the loss of three-fourths of the French possessions by King John turned what was left into provinces held by the King Consolida- °^ England in a foreign country. Hitherto the tion of English kingdom had been on the whole of less ng and. consequence to the Norman and Angevin kings than their French dominions, and half the barons of England had also been barons of Normandy. Now the barons of England were Englishmen j and Henry iii.'s successor, Edward I., the bearer of a purely English name, had to consolidate the power of England, not of Anjou, as a nation of the first rank. The last of the crusaders was the first of the real English kings.