A Study Of The Councils In Medieval England

The Councils were core feature of political system of medieval England.The king,lords spiritual and temporal and officers of royal household achieved collegial discussions through councils to enable the king to make better decisions.Witenagemot was the main political body during the Anglo-Saxon period.Lords who became wise men or elders based on their blood,qualifications and knowledge,assisting the elected king in governing kingdom by participating in politics.Undoubtedly,Witenagemot had the color of primitive democracy and common wealth during the Anglo-Saxon period.England in the feudal era almost completely inherited common wealth,with which the feudal system from Europe fit in.At the same time,it also strengthened and consolidated the idea and practice of common wealth and participation in political affairs.Curia Regis was a very important body and played a role in gathering political consensus in the early feudal era.Curia Regis had two forms: magnum concilium and concilium,the functions of them were divided as well as overlapped.Following the discussing way during the Anglo-Saxon period,magnum concilium and concilium also reflected the characteristics of common wealth.In the middle of the 13 th century,magnum concilium and concilium gradually separated from the royal household,gained greater independence,and carved their own evolutionary paths.Magnum concilium absorbed local knights and town representatives and evolved into a parliament.After that,archbishops separated from the parliament and convened another convocation.However,magnum concilium had never been disappeared,who would still be convened in special cases.Concilium became a fixed administrative center,that is the king’s council,where the barons competed.The king’s council integrated participation,discussion in political affairs and administrative functions,who can often influenced the king’s opinions and parliamentary attitude.Judging from the evolution of the structure and functions of the councils in the Middle Ages,the royal always relied on collegiate discussions with lords,which showed a gradually increasing trend.Parliament was not the only body for common wealth.Among other derivative bodies of Curia Regis,the weight of the parliament did not exceed one-third.