The composition and work of the Royal Council, in the reign of Henry II, 1154-1189

Abstract

The material used, with the exception of the Carte Antique in the Public Record Office, consists entirely of printed sources and secondary works. The sources are of two kinds: firstly, biographies and chronicles; and secondly, collections of charters, letters, and constitutional documents. The two sections of the thesis correspond to the title, one dealing with the composition, the other with the work of the council. The first part discusses the relationship between the great feudal councils and the king's permanent advisory staff. As far as the great feudal councils are concerned, the thesis consists primarily in an attempt to reconcile the various accounts given in secondary works, with certain additional facts and inferences derived from the original sources. The part dealing with the perpetual advisory group shows the change from the king's almost complete reliance on the counsels of individuals at the beginning of the reign, to an almost entirely official group at the end. There are also notices of the inter-relationship of the more prominent counsellors; and the relative use of new men and members of old-established families. The second part of the thesis considers the work of the council, in four aspects: counsel, legislation, finance, and justice. The first of these deals with the question whether the king required counsel, automatic consent, or considered consent and the last with the place of feudal justice in the council in relation to the judicial and legal developments of the reign. There are also notices of the frequency, regularity, and place of meetings; and of the character of the council and court.