The Convention of Estates of Scotland was a sister institution to the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

which sat from the early sixteenth century. Initially, it was only attended by the clergy and nobles, but the burgh commissioners were later added. The Convention of Estates differed from Parliament in that it could be summoned by the King for the limited purpose of raising taxation, but could not pass other legislation. Like its predecessor General Council it played an important role in political and legislative affairs in Scotland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During the

Glorious Revolution in Scotland Prior to 1707, Scotland and England shared a common monarch but were separate legal entities, so decisions in one did not bind the other. In both countries, the Glorious Revolution, in which James VII (II in England) was replaced by his daught ...

, the Scottish Privy Council asked the King of England, William of Orange, to summon the Convention of Estates of 1689 to determine the throne of Scotland. It offered it to William and Mary, adopting the Articles of Grievances and

Claim of Right Act 1689 The Claim of Right (c. 28) () is an act passed by the Convention of the Estates, a sister body to the Parliament of Scotland (or Three Estates), in April 1689. It is one of the key documents of United Kingdom constitutional law and Scottish ...

, and transformed itself into a full parliament.

See also

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