Government in late medieval England

The government of the Kingdom of England in the Middle Ages was a monarchy based on the principles of feudalism.

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.

Under the Plantagenets, rules of primogeniture were established, and a new reign was considered to have begun on the death of the old king.

The nine-year-old Henry was first given a hasty coronation in 1216 at Gloucester Cathedral by Guala Bicchieri, the papal legate.

Edward II added the clause promising "to maintain and preserve the laws and rightful customs which the community of your realm shall have chosen".

In the reign of Henry III, there are some indications that the Crown was regarded as distinct from the king in terms of the alienation of royal land.

[4] During the reign of Edward II, the earl of Lincoln presented the Declaration of 1308 arguing that homage and allegiance were due more to the Crown than to the person of the king (see Doctrine of capacities).

[9] One of the arguments for deposing Edward II was that he had not defended the rights of the Crown, specifically that he failed to preserve royal lands and had taken evil counsel.

[6] The king's council provided the monarch with expert advice and assistance in governing the kingdom.

It heard important legal cases, and it could reach decisions without reference to the common law.

[11] Members included the king's ministers and closest advisers, such as judges, the chancellor, and the treasurer.

[15] The lower exchequer received payments and issued receipts in the form of tally sticks.

Household officials often diverted royal revenue before it ever reached the exchequer, and the wardrobe did not always submit its accounts to be audited.

[18] During Edward I's reign, the chancery clerks started to stay in England rather than accompany the king on foreign military expeditions.

Nevertheless, this proved ineffective at restraining the king as he was still able to raise lesser amounts of revenue from sources that did not require parliamentary consent:[27][28] England was divided into 39 counties, which existed with only minor boundary changes until 1974 when the Local Government Act 1972 went into effect.

[30] As the main communication channel between the Crown and the counties, the sheriff was responsible for sharing royal proclamations.

[31] Henry III preferred to appoint local knights to the office, and this trend continued after his reign.

These appointed sub-escheators in each county to enforce royal wardship rights and manage lands that escheated to the Crown.

[35] Initially, important cases were heard coram rege (Latin for "in the presence of the king") with the advice of his curia regis.

But the growth of the legal system required specialization, and the judicial functions of the curia regis were delegated to two courts sitting at Westminster Hall.

Cases came before the King's Bench as appeals from lower courts (including Common Pleas) by writs of error.