The Cortes Gerais ( pre-1911 spelling: Cortes Geraes,https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:574055/PDF/ meaning ''General Courts'' in Portuguese) were the

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

of the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kn ...

during the Constitutional Monarchy period. The Cortes were established by provision of the Portuguese Constitution of 1822 as a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

parliament. However, the

Constitutional Charter of 1826 The Charter of 1826 or ''Carta Constitucional'', often simply referred to as the ''Carta'', was the second constitution in Portuguese history. It was given to the country in 1826 by King Dom Pedro IV. The constitution remained in force, with the ...

reformed the Cortes as a

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gr ...

legislature, with the Chamber of Most Worthy Peers of the Kingdom as its

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

and the Chamber of Gentlemen Deputies of the Portuguese Nation as its lower house. During the brief period in which the Constitution of 1838 was in force (1838-1842), the Chamber of Peers was abolished and replaced by the Chamber of the Senators or Senate. With the restoration of the Constitutional Charter in 1842, the Chamber of Peers was also restored as the upper chamber of the Cortes. The name of the legislature originates from the traditional Portuguese Cortes, the assemblies of representatives of the three estates, during the period of

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constituti ...

. Since 1834, the Cortes had their seat in the Palace of the Cortes in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

. This building was originally a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery and continues to be until today the seat of the

Portuguese parliament The Assembly of the Republic ( Portuguese: ''Assembleia da República'', ), commonly referred to as simply Parliament ( Portuguese: ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral parliament of Portugal. According to the Constitution of Portugal, the parliame ...

, being presently referred as the

São Bento Palace São Bento Palace ( pt, Palácio de São Bento, italic=no "Saint Benedict's Palace") in Lisbon is the seat of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, the parliament of Portugal. Originally constructed in 1598, São Bento has served as the sea ...

Gallery

File:Uniforme dos Pares do Reino (1860) - Manuel Maria Bordalo Pinheiro, Arquivo Histórico Parlamentar.png, Uniform of a member of the Chamber of Peers (1860) File:Camara dos Pares.jpg, The Chamber of the Peers in session (1867) File:Aspecto da Câmara dos Deputados antes da implantação da República - Emílio Biel e Companhia.png, Chamber of Deputies in the early 20th century File:A Guarda Real dos Archeiros à entrada do palácio de São Bento (c. 1908) - Alberto Carlos Lima.png, The Royal Guard of the Archers waiting King Manuel II for the opening of the 1908 session of the Cortes File:Entrée Chambre des deputes a Lisbonne (Chusseau-Flaviens) (V).jpg, Main entrance of the Palace of Cortes in the early 20th century

References

{{reflist Historical legislatures Government of Portugal Portuguese monarchy 1822 establishments in Portugal 1910 disestablishments in Portugal