On The Notions Of Medieval Kingship

In the West medieval political notions,in which the notions of kingship is highly important,are the direct origin and matrix of modern political notions.Many basic issues,basic ideas,methods of thought and logic of evolution of modern political notions are from notions of medieval kingship directly or indirectly.In the notions of medieval kingship there are many factors which existed juxtapositively,conflicted with each other and compromised.This situation not only reveals the Middle Ages succeeded selectively to the Ancient Greek and Roman political traditions and rebuilt the appearance of Western political notions,but also determines the trend of transition of the Western basic political views from the Middle Ages to modern Times,and affects the formation and development of modern political views and institutions significantly in the West.These are meaningful about the understanding the process of the Western and Chinese political modernization.The notions of legitimacy of medieval kinship exhibit the diversity of the Western political tradition.Factors of Teuton,Christianity,Ancient Greece and Rome were absolutely necessary in the multiple structure of legitimacy of medieval kingship."Descending mode" is the trunk of the legitimacy of medieval kingship while the others are also very important: Legimitism,magnates' election and consult,rule of law are accepted by Christianity,but Christianity doctrines defined the quality of kingship as the Vicar office of God.In reality,the highly organized Church assured kingship existed as one aspect of the dualistic social and political structures by the criterion of suitability.In order to cave the frustrated situation in the Investiture Conflict pro-king's theorists made use of Roman Emperor's legitimacy theories in Roman Law,Aristotle's theories of political community, organism theories and other ideas prevailed in Middle Ages to protect the legitimacy of kingship.The struggles and compromises in the multiple structure of legitimacy of medieval kingship pointed to Modern Times,in the course of which various theoretical resources by various means provided the theological(philosophical),moral and legal foundation for the strong national power until Thomas Hobbes.In theory and reality early medieval kingdoms were not self-sufficient political entity which had no tangible boundary and where the kingships were not their centers.After the Revival of Aristotle the naturalistic principle that polis was self-sufficient political community,was imposed on kingdoms.By the effort of Aquinas's theology,John of Paris's theory of division of ecclesiastical and lay powers,Dante's theory of World Empire,and Marsilius's theory of supreme legislative power of political community, kingdoms got the status of political entity which were self-sufficient and had tangible boundary and where the kingships were their centers and public representations.These constructed the theoretical basic of modern national powers.In theory and reality early medieval kingship was not the supreme power. The Struggle among Church,Empire,kingdoms and nobles required kinship get the status of supremacy.The Revival of Roman Law provided Ulpian's two maxims that what pleases the prince has the force of law and that the prince is not bound by the laws.Canon provided two key concepts:fullness of power and absolute power.National theorists made great effort to apply these principles on the kingdoms which connected with the modern theory of sovereignty and provided it for key concepts,mode of thought and historical experiences.The publicness of medieval kingship primarily realized the basic function:Overcoming the universal chaos and keeping the social and political order and justice.Its subordinate mission was to oppose the royal privatization of powers.The problems of the Middle Ages and Ancient Greece and Rome were different essentially.The development and transition of Suzerainty,the erection of Primogeniture,the legal fiction of Crown,the political theology of the King's Two Bodies,Patriotism,the political reasons of Necessitas and Public good were all propitious to getting rid of and overcoming the situation that all powers were almost based upon feudal private commendatio,which provided modern public issues for ideal factors and basic missions.The continually strengthening medieval kingship resulted necessarily in functional differentiations while the correlative notions changed accordingly. Jurisdiction was the negative and basic function of kingship in the limited condition,which connected with the centuries-old tradition of Rule of Law. Legislation was new function of kingship in the struggle between ecclesiastical and lay powers,which connected with the old-lined tradition of counsel and consult.The institutional form of legislation determined the kingship's direction towards Constitutionalism or Absolutism.Administration was the new function of kingship in late medieval times,which connected with the image of king's leadership in war.War required high efficiency of government so that administration occurred and revenue system erected. Army and revenue systems would become the two backstone of absolute kingship in future.The functional differentiations and developments of medieval kingship provided modern theories of division of power for the most practically historical antitype.The Conception of medieval kingship and of Chinese traditional emperorship had some similarities of "descending" character,the resbosibility of herding subjects,and Legimitism.But the differences between them were essential and systemic.Behind Chinese traditional emperorship there was no context of Higher Law.It need not to face the problems of reconstruction of political community(entity) and pursuing supreme status.It was omnipotent so that the functional division of jurisdiction,legislation and administration could not describe its function completely and clearly.In the comparison of the two essentially different systems,the essences of two can be exhibit profoundly,which is helpful to understanding the rough process of Chinese political modernization.