uria regis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Royal council)

Jump to navigationJump to search

"King's Council" redirects here. It is not to be confused with King's Counsel.

Royal Council

Curia regis

Type

Houses Magnum Concilium and the Royal

Court

History

Founded 1066

Disbanded c. 1215

Preceded by Witenagemot

Succeeded by Parliament of England and privy

council

Parliament of Scotland

Leadership

King William I
since 1066 (The Norman Conquest)

John
since 1215 (Magna Carta)

Structure

The Magnum Concilium political Tenants-in-chief

groups Officers of the court
 Archbishops, Bishops

and certain Abbots

The Royal Court political groups Officers of the court

Magnates

Curia regis (Medieval Latin: [ˈkuː.ri.a ˈreː.d͡ʒis]) is a Latin term meaning "royal council" or

"king's court." It was the name given to councils of advisers and administrators in
medieval Europe who served kings, including kings of France, Norman kings of
England and Sicily and kings of Poland.

Contents

 1England
o 1.1Evolution into specialist institutions
 2France
 3Poland
 4See also
 5Notes
 6References
 7External links

England[edit]
The Normans, following their conquest of England, used a council called the curia
regis to conduct much of the business of state in England. [1] It was similar to, but not
the same as, the Witenagemot (or Witan) which advised the Anglo-Saxon kings of
England, and the curia ducis which served the Dukes of Normandy.[2]
This council existed in two forms, one large and one smaller form. The council in its
smaller form, which was in continuous session, was made up of the king's officers of
state and those magnates who were at court.[3] This small council was known as the
"lesser curia regis". The lesser curia regis was in essence the king's royal court and
as such was an itinerant court that followed the king in all his travels. The king, when
traveling throughout his realm and as an integral part of the court, often heard suitors
in person.[4]
On special occasions the king would summons others to the council
including tenants-in-chief, the great officers of the king's court, and
those ecclesiastics who held lands belonging to the king. The ecclesiastics included
archbishops, bishops and certain abbots. [a] This larger assembly was known as the
"great curia regis", Magnum Concilium, or simply the Great Council.[3]
The curia regis in either the large or small form did the business of state whether
legislative, judicial, or diplomatic. These functions were executed seamlessly with no
regard to specialised functions. Neither the greater or lesser curia regis was
subservient to the other, as it was considered the same entity. Under the Norman
kings the business of government was handled the same regardless of which curia
was meeting at the time.[3]
In judicial matters, the basis for the law remained the Anglo-Saxon laws of Edward
the Confessor which both William the Conqueror and Henry I promised to uphold.
The powers of the sheriffs were retained as well as those of the communal courts
(hundred courts and shire courts). The curia regis attempted to maintain continuity
with its predecessor as the Norman kings wanted to be seen as the lawful
successors of Edward the Confessor.[4]
Evolution into specialist institutions[edit]
Gradually the curia regis began to branch off into entities which formed into other
institutions, including the Cabinet, the Star Chamber, Chancery, and others.[5][6] One
of the first was the exchequer, which specialised in the financial matters of
government.[5]
During the thirteenth century the two forms of the curia themselves began to
separate.[5] The great curia regis after taking on representative elements formed
into Parliament.[7] The first mention of a court of the king's bench (curia regis) being
termed "Parliament" was in 1236 during the Michaelmas term (of the great curia
regis).[8] The small curia regis became the Privy Council.
Even after the split between them, both parts continued to involve themselves in all
three functions of the original curia and only slowly began to specialise in one
function over the others.[9] Some judicial functions of the House of Lords persisted
until 2009.

France[edit]
Main article: Conseil du Roi
In France the King's Court, called the Curia Regis in Latin, functioned as an advisory
body under the early Capetian kings. It was composed of a number of the king's
trusted advisers but only a few travelled with the king at any time. By the later twelfth
century it had become a judicial body with a few branching off to remain the king's
council.[10]
By the fourteenth century the term curia regis was no longer used.[10] However, it was
a predecessor to later sovereign assemblies: the Parlement, which was a judiciary
body, the Chamber of Accounts, which was a financial body, and the King's Council.
[11]