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Government in late medieval England

Related articles:
 * 1) Government in medieval England
 * 2) Government in Anglo-Saxon England
 * 3) Government in Norman and Angevin England
 * 4) Tudor government
 * 5) Elizabethan government
 * 6) Stuart government


 * 1) Crown
 * 2) Interregnum and coronation
 * 3) Household, Departments, Ministries, Offices, etc.
 * 4) Parliament
 * 5) Local government
 * 6) Wales
 * 7) Courts
 * 8) Class system
 * 9) Currency and finance
 * 10) Church

Lead
The government of the Kingdom of England in the Middle Ages was a monarchy based on the principles of feudalism. The king possessed ultimate executive, legislative, and judicial power. However, some limits to the king's authority had been imposed by the 13th century. Magna Carta established the principle that taxes could not be levied without common consent, and Parliament was able to assert its power over taxation throughout this period.

Historical context
Not in article From the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the reign of King John, the kings of England were also Dukes of Normandy and rulers of other territories in France. While England's administrative and legal systems were separate from the other parts of the Angevin Empire, they were politically interrelated. The loss of Normandy in 1204 severed many of these ties and "politics became distinctively English" once again. Henry III was king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou. The claim to Normandy and the counties of Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poitou was abandoned in 1259. In 1340, Edward III claimed the kingdom of France. The Plantagenets were an Anglo-French dynasty with marriage ties to the French royal family and other ruling families on the continent. Plantagenet dynasty's lineage stretched all the way back to the House of Wessex. English cental and local government was the most sophisticated in medieval Europe. Edward I requested a feudal aid in 1306 "by right of his royal crown". Early in Edward I's reign, those around the king strongly beleived that magnates and others had taken many royal rights for themselves. Through the quo warranto inquiries, the king attempted with limited success to reassert the Crown's rights.

Inheritance and coronation
Not in article: There were many royal crowns. The most important was St Edward's Crown. This was considered a relic and was used for coronations. It was usual for their to be several others in the royal treasury. The queen also had crowns. However, kings did not wear their crowns very often for there were no regular ceremonies in which they woudl do this. The throne was another symbol, but it is unclear how often kings sat on the throne.

Rights and authority
Unlike other lords, kings were anointed and had greater power. The Crown alone:


 * could coin money
 * had authority over main roads
 * could declare war (though it was wise for kings to obtain parliamentary consent)
 * could not be sued
 * had sole jurisdiction over certain crimes (but could delegate authority to private jurisdictions)

Not in article "Rather curiously, the crown was regarded as being always under age, and therefore subject to all the protections that were applied to land while the holder was a minor." Queens had a traditional role as peacemakers and seeking pardon for those who approached her. This served a valuable political role because it allowed a king to show mercy without looking weak. Beyond this, there wasn't much of a formal role for queens. The role individual queens played depended a lot on their personal relatonship with the king.

Limitations
Not in article Prestwich notes more but essentially what he says is that "Ideas about the crown were becoming commonplace in political discussion."

King's council
Not in article By 1237, the curia regis had formally split into two separate councils; though, they had long been separate in practice. The king's council was "permanent, advisory, and executive". It managed day to day government and included the king's ministers and closest advisers. The members of the king's council swore an oath that distinguished between the king and the crown, promising to maintain the rights of the king and the crown.

Royal household
Not in article: See Prestwich p. 49 for a list of Edward III's household.

Royal finances
Not in article: Until 1344, the sole form of currency were the silver pennies. In 1344, the mints produced gold coins called nobles.

Punishment
Not in article Writs, charters, and financial records were all written in Latin, while French was spoken in the courts. It was only among the lower courts where English may have been spoken. Auditing of financial accounts could also be a complicated process. It could take years before an issue was finally resolved.