Page:The child's pictorial history of England; (IA childspictorialh00corn).pdf/101

 prisoners in a battle, fought at Lewes, in Sussex, in 1264, and the Earl of Leicester, the king's brother-in-law, took the government upon himself.

7. This was an important event, because the earl summoned a parliament to consult as to what it would be best to do under these circumstances; and he desired that, besides the nobles and bishops, there should come to this parliament knights, or gentlemen from every county, and citizens and burghers, from every city and burgh to state what the condition of the people really was, and to help to advise what could be done for them; so that the commoners were now, probably, for the first time, admitted to some share in the government of the country, which was a great step gained by the people, who, before this, had no representatives in the national council, or parliament, to take their part; and this was the beginning of our House of Commons, so it is worth remembering.

8. Prince Edward, after this, escaped from Hereford, where he had been kept a prisoner, and gained a great victory over the Barons, and replaced his father Henry on the throne; after which, he went on a crusade to the Holy Land.

9. He had married a Spanish princess, named Eleanor, who was the first person, in England,