The Parliament of Devils was a session of the
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...
, held at
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
in the
Benedictine Priory of St Mary's. The primary reason for summoning Parliament was to pass
bills of attainder for
high treason against
Yorkist nobles, following the
Battle of Ludford Bridge
The Rout of Ludford Bridge was a largely bloodless confrontation fought in the early years of the Wars of the Roses. It took place on 12 October 1459, and resulted in a setback for the Yorkists. Although this seemed to be a triumph for the riva ...
.
This Parliament was the 21st Parliament summoned in the reign of King
Henry VI of England
Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English thron ...
. It was summoned on 9 October 1459 for its first meeting on 20 November 1459, where Sir
Thomas Tresham,
knight of the shire for
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, was elected
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** In ...
of the
House of Commons. The prominent figures condemned at this Parliament were
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantage ...
, who was not invited to Parliament, his sons
Edward, Earl of March (the future King Edward IV) and
Edmund, Earl of Rutland
Edmund, Earl of Rutland (17 May 1443 – 30 December 1460) was the fourth child and second surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville. He was a younger brother of Edward, Earl of March, the future King Edward ...
, as well as
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury (1400 – 31 December 1460) was an English nobleman and magnate based in northern England who became a key supporter of the House of York during the early years of the Wars of the Roses. He was the ...
and his son,
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick.
The Parliament was dissolved on 20 December 1459.
''Handbook of British Chronology'' (London: Royal Historical Society, 1986), p. 570
References
1459 establishments in England
1459 disestablishments in England
15th-century English parliaments
History of Coventry
History of Warwickshire
{{England-hist-stub