Around 1000 AD, some of the Vikings who had been raiding France, got permission from the French king to settle down and live in France. They were called the Normans, which are short for North-Men, because they came from the North. The part of France where they lived is called Normandy today. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, put together a huge army of 6000 men, along with several hundred ships. He invaded England, and at the Battle of Hastings, defeated another rival for the throne. William was crowned King of England.
William, the Conqueror, took all the land away from the English church officials and nobles, and gave it all to his Norman friends. He also wanted local officials, under his control, in all the towns. So, he created a new office called a sheriff. A sheriff’s job was to collect taxes. William set up a council of Norman nobles and bishops. He called it the Great Council. By the 1200’s, the Great Council was called parliament… and it is called parliament to this day.