Scottish Blog

1. Early history of the Scottish Parliament

At the current moment, Scotland has its own Parliament (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba in Gaelic, Scots Pairlament in Scots)and it has been so since the 6th of May 1999. The only other time Scotland has had its own Parliament is before the Act of Union.

Although it did not go by any set name or body, a Scottish Parliament has existed since the 12th century. In this early incarnation, the Scottish Parliament was constituted by various bodies and groups who gave advice to the monarchs.

Naturally rules began forming as to the running of these groups and their role in the affairs of the Crown and country. This progression shaped the group into something more closely resembling the Scottish Parliament of today. In 1235 it was refered to as a “Parliament” for the first time.

At this point the Scottish Parliament consisted of powerful figures from around the country, including those from the clergy, gentry and Scottish Clan and family leaders. In 1326, a new representative group was allowed into Parliament, the burgh commissioners who represented the commons.

To understand the Scottish Parliament in its early history it is important to see the importance that the ruling monarch played in it.

One of the monarch’s major influences stemmed from the structure of the Scottish Parliament. The Parliament worked through a number of groups, delegated to do various tasks. The most prominent of these were the “Lords of Articles”, who performed tasks almost identical to that of the modern Scottish Parliament. The selection of this group was controlled by the monarch, thus greatly influencing its running and opinions.

Another important aspect of power that the monarch held over the Scottish Parliament was that the Parliament could only be called by the monarch. Furthermore, the Scottish Parliament was called forty days before its meeting. If there was not enough time for this, the monarch could call select individuals with whom he could make decisions. Naturally the people that the monarch called were chosen for certain purposes, thus further influencing the running of the Scottish Parliament.

With such heavy influence from the monarch, it is understandable that the Scottish Parliament would begin to seek its independence and autonomy. In 1560, Mary Queen of Scots gave permission for the Scottish Parliament to meet but under the condition that they were not to discuss religion. The Scottish Parliament proposed legislation against Roman Catholic worship. This legislation was not approved by the Queen until seven years later. Although not instantly recognizable as so, these proved to be the beginning steps for the Scottish Parliament towards independence.

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