Representative assembly first defined in the Magna Carta in the 13th century. First comprised of the
kingâs officers and the
peers of the realm, the assembly gradually grew beyond the
Barons to include
knights of
shires who were summoned by the
sheriff . During the 14th century the English parliament split into two houses, the
House of Lords , comprised of the Barons and Preates, overseen by the King, and the
House of Commons , made up of the knights from the
boroughs and shires that elected their own speaker to take their point of view before the King.
