History of parliamentarism

The first parliaments date back to the Middle Ages. While UNESCO considers the Cortes of León (1188) in current day Spain as the earliest documentary manifestation with the presence of the common people, the Parliament of Sicily is frequently cited by historiography as one of the earliest precursors of parliamentary institutions in Europe. Originating from the assemblies convened by Roger II of Sicily in 1130, it evolved into a formalized structure that anticipated many features of later European parliaments.

The concept of parliamentary government also evolved and developed in the Kingdom of England, with the first English parliament to include ordinary citizens from the towns taking place in 1265. During the early modern period, this culminated in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which ensured that, unlike much of the rest of Europe at the time, royal absolutism would not prevail.

An early example of parliamentary government also occurred in today's Netherlands and Belgium during the Dutch revolt in 1581, when the sovereign, legislative and executive powers were taken over by the States General of the Netherlands from the then-monarch, King Philip II of Spain.

The revolutions of 1848 in Europe largely failed to strengthen parliaments in most European countries, as conservative forces regained control and reversed changes, but they made a return to the pre-1848 status quo impossible, leading to gradual, long-term parliamentary development across much of Europe.