Oxford Parliament, 1681. The Oxford Parliament was the denouement of the great Exclusion crisis and established Charles II's supremacy for the last four years of his reign. The Shaftesbury Whigs who opposed him had won three general elections between 1679 and 1681. In April 1681 Charles summoned a parliament to Oxford where the influence of the London radicals would be less. Nevertheless, the Whigs expected royal capitulation and proposed another bill to exclude James, duke of York, from the succession. But a secret deal with Louis XIV to supply money enabled Charles to dissolve the Parliament after only one week. The Whigs offered no resistance. Three months later, Shaftesbury was arrested and the power of the Whigs broken.

J. A. Cannon

Oxford Parliament, 1258. The Oxford Parliament of June 1258 was summoned while there was much discontent with the rule of Henry III and irritation at the rapacity of his Poitevin relatives. By the provisions of Oxford, de Montfort and his supporters set up a council to control the king and supervise government. The experiment failed and led in 1264 to civil war.

J. A. Cannon