The Short Parliament was a session of the Parliament of England that convened on 13 April 1640 and was dissolved on 5 May 1640, after sitting for less than three weeks. It was summoned by King Charles I, who required parliamentary support to fund military efforts against Scotland during the Bishops' Wars. The King had ruled without Parliament for eleven years, a period known as the Personal Rule.
Members of the Short Parliament were predominantly critical of the King's governance, particularly his imposition of ship money and other extra-legal fiscal measures. They refused to grant Charles the funds he sought unless he addressed their grievances concerning taxation, religious policy, and arbitrary imprisonment.
Faced with resistance and unwilling to compromise, Charles dissolved the Parliament on 5 May 1640. Its dissolution intensified political tensions between the monarchy and Parliament, contributing to the outbreak of the English Civil War. Later in 1640, Charles was forced to summon another Parliament, known as the Long Parliament, which would play a central role in the conflict.
The term "Short Parliament" is well documented in historical sources and refers specifically to this brief legislative assembly in 1640.