The Parliament of Bats was a Parliament of England that was held in 1426 in Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

. Meetings took place in the great hall of Leicester Castle

Leicester Castle

Leicester Castle is located in the city of the same name in the English county of Leicestershire. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University to the south....

. The King at the time, Henry VI

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

 was an infant, and the session saw him knighted in St Mary de Castro

St Mary de Castro (Leicester)

St Mary de Castro is an ancient church in Leicester, England, near to Leicester Castle. Today it acts as a parish church in the Church of England's diocese of Leicester.-Architectural history:...

 Church across the road from the Castle Great Hall. http://semper-eadem.tripod.com/Articles/06.htm

The name is derived because members were not allowed to carry swords by the Duke of Gloucester

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester

Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Pembroke, KG , also known as Humphrey Plantagenet, was "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of king Henry IV of England by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, brother to king Henry V of England, and uncle to the...

, and so armed themselves with clubs, or bats — tensions being high because of the ongoing dispute between Cardinal Beaufort, the Bishop of Winchester

Bishop of Winchester

The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...

 and off-and-on Lord Chancellor

Lord Chancellor

The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...

, and the Duke of Gloucester, the King's uncle and regent. The Parliament saw Beaufort removed permanently as Lord Chancellor and replaced with John Kemp

John Kemp

John Kemp was a medieval English cardinal, archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor of England.-Biography:Kemp was son of Thomas Kempe, a gentleman of Ollantigh, in the parish of Wye near Ashford, Kent...

.