istoryworld
Events relating to democracy
Solon makes every Athenian citizen a member of the ecclesia, responsible for the election of archons, thus laying the first cornerstone of Athenian democracy
Cleisthenes, brought to power by popular support, puts into effect a major programme of political reform in Athens
Cleisthenes gives every Athenian citizen a voice in the demos, the local council at village or town level
Ostracism is introduced in Athens as a way of getting rid of unpopular politicians
With the army away, Pericles introduces full democracy for all Athenian citizens, enabling them to vote and participate in the administration of the state
A secret ballot is instituted for Roman citizens, who mark their vote on a tablet and place it in an urn
The Venetians for the first time elect their own doge, acting independently of the Byzantine governor in Ravenna
Communal gatherings, the thing and the larger althing, are the distant origins of Scandivian parliaments
An althing of chieftains establishes the commonwealth of Iceland, which will survive for more than three centuries
Iceland's parliament, the althing, passes a resolution that everyone on the island is to be baptized
Many of the towns of northern Italy acquire virtual independence as self-governing communes
Representatives of the towns in Léon are summoned to one of the earliest known parliaments
Flemish towns begin to acquire municipal independence, as communes, following the earlier Italian trend
France becomes the first kingdom to establish a permanent parliament when Louis IX reserves a chamber in his palace for quarterly sessions
The first open-air democratic assembly, later characteristic of the Swiss cantons, is held in Schwyz
The parliament summoned by Edward I in Westminster Hall is later seen as a 'model' for the breadth of its representation
The English government in Dublin calls a parliament on the lines of England's recent Model Parliament
The estates-general of France gather for the first time, in Notre Dame, to consider the king's relationship with the pope
The leading role of Schwyz in the victory at Morgarten causes the independent cantons to become informally known as the Swiss confederation
Cola di Rienzo, appointed tribune of the people, enjoys a few months of dictatorial powers in Rome before the citizens tire of him
The Swedish Riksdag includes peasants as a fourth estate, alongside clergy, nobles and burghers
The assembly brought together in Bruges in 1463 is later seen as the first full gathering of the Netherlands States-General
John I Albert summons the first recorded sejm, a parliament representing the whole of Poland
William Bradford, one of the Pilgrims from the Mayflower, is elected governor of the new Plymouth Colony
The rival political parties in Britain find abusive names for each other - Whigs and Tories
