Oxford Parliament (1258)

It is best known for the Provisions of Oxford, a set of constitutional reforms that forced the English king to govern according to the advice of a council of barons.

The parliament came to be known as "Mad" as a result of an entry in the Latin chronicle Liber de Antiquis Legibus which read "Hoc anno fuit illud insane parliamentum apud Oxoniam".

In 1255, the King informed parliament that as a result of the Sicilian business he owed the pope the huge sum of £100,000[note 1] and that if he defaulted England would be placed under an interdict.

The King's position was weakened further when English armies suffered several defeats at the hand of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in Wales.

The pope excused the King of his obligations related to the throne of Sicily, meaning that he no longer required the funds provided by the additional taxation given to him by Parliament.

[12] The issue was one which was brought before King Louis IX of France, acting as arbitrator between Henry and the barons at the Mise of Amiens.

[20] Peter de Montfort's role as parlour or prolocutor was the forerunner for Speaker of the House of Commons which officially began in 1377.