The 13th century saw many changes in the English way of life. The feudal system began slowly breaking up. Trade and industry grew by leaps and bounds, and the towns were also becoming bigger and more prosperous.
The most powerful king in medieval English history was Edward I who lived in the 13th century. He was perhaps the most brilliant at consolidating power. The institution he invented to achieve this end was the parliament. The purpose of parliament was to gather all the major vassals of the king in one place, explain to them the reasons for collecting taxes, and get their approval.
The entire purpose of the development of parliament was efficiency. Eventually, however, after the reign of Edward, parliament would develop as a powerful check on the monarch’s power, though this had not been Edward’s intention.