The Painted Chamber at Westminster and the Openings of Parliament, 1399–1484*

The aim of this article is to investigate the use of the Painted Chamber in the Palace of Westminster as a parliamentary space in the 15th century, focusing on 41 openings of parliament held there between 1399 and 1484. It will examine the history and images of the Painted Chamber and the procedures of the opening of parliament through a combination of historical, art historical, and archaeological sources, scholarship and methodologies. It will argue that the Painted Chamber and the openings of parliament therein were tools used by the crown to establish a dynamic between itself and the Commons in which the crown claimed its right to authority but also encouraged a political dialogue. Furthermore, it will argue that this need for dialogue was a response to the growing political influence of the Commons.