Government in medieval monarchies generally comprised the king's companions, later becoming the royal household, from which the officers of state arose, initially having household and government duties. Later some of these officers became two: one serving state and one serving household. They were superseded by new officers, or were absorbed by existing officers. Many of the officers became hereditary and thus removed from practical operation of either the state or the household. [1]
Especially in the Norman kingdoms these offices will have common characteristics. In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are traditional ministers of The Crown who either inherit their positions or are appointed to exercise certain largely ceremonial functions or to operate as members of the government. [2] Separate Great Officers of State exist for England and for Scotland, as well as formerly for Ireland. It was the same in the Kingdoms of Sicily and Naples. Many of the Great Officers became largely ceremonial because historically they were so influential that their powers had to be resumed by the Crown or dissipated.
Initially, after the Norman Conquest, England adopted the officers from the Normandy Ducal court (which was modelled after the French court) with a steward, chamberlain and constable. Originally having both household and governmental duties, some of these officers later split into two counterparts in Great Officer of the State and officer of the royal household, while other offices were superseded by new offices or absorbed by existing offices. This was due to many of the offices becoming hereditary because of feudalistic practices, and thus removed from the practical operation of either the state or the Royal Household. [3] The Great Officers then gradually expanded to cover multiple duties, and have now become largely ceremonial.
The Great Officers of the Crown of France (French: Grands officiers de la couronne de France) were the most important officers of state in the French royal court during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the King of France, with all but the Keeper of the Seals being appointments for life. These positions were neither transmissible nor hereditary.
During the time of the First French Empire, the equivalent officers were known as the Grand Dignitaries of the French Empire. The Great Officers of the Crown of France should not be confused with the similarly named Great Officers of the Royal Household of France (Grands officiers de la maison du roi de France), which share certain officers, headed by the Grand Master of France.Princes elector held a "High Office of the Empire" (Reichserzämter) analogous to a modern Cabinet office and were members of the ceremonial Imperial Household. The three spiritual electors were Arch-Chancellors (German : Erzkanzler, Latin : Archicancellarius): the Archbishop of Mainz was Arch-Chancellor of Germany, the Archbishop of Cologne was Arch-Chancellor of Italy, and the Archbishop of Trier was Arch-Chancellor of Burgundy. The six remaining were secular electors, who were granted augmentations to their arms reflecting their position in the Household. These augments were displayed either as an inset badge, as in the case of the Arch Steward, Treasurer, and Chamberlain—or dexter, as in the case of the Arch Marshal and Arch Bannerbearer. Or, as in the case of the Arch Cupbearer, the augment was integrated into the escutcheon, held in the royal Bohemian lion's right paw.
Augmentation | Imperial office | German | Latin | Elector |
---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch-Cupbearer | Erzmundschenk | Archipincerna | King of Bohemia |
Arch-Steward (or Arch-Seneschal) | Erztruchseß | Archidapifer | Elector Palatine to 1623 | |
Elector of Bavaria, 1623–1706 | ||||
Elector Palatine, 1706–1714 | ||||
Elector of Bavaria, 1714–1806 | ||||
Arch-Treasurer | Erzschatzmeister | Archithesaurarius | Elector Palatine, 1648–1706 | |
Elector of Hanover, 1710–1714 | ||||
Elector Palatine, 1714–1777 | ||||
Elector of Hanover, 1777–1814 | ||||
Arch-Marshal | Erzmarschall | Archimarescallus | Elector of Saxony | |
Arch-Chamberlain | Erzkämmerer | Archicamerarius | Elector of Brandenburg | |
Arch-Bannerbearer | Erzbannerträger | Archivexillarius | Elector of Württemberg [11] |
In the Kingdom of Hungary the Great Officers of State were non-hereditary court officials originally appointed by the king, later some of them were elected by the Diet. They were also called the barons of the kingdom (Hungarian : országbárók, országnagyok) and lords banneret because they were obliged to lead their own Banderium (military unit) under their own banner in times of war. The offices gradually got separated from the role they originally fulfilled and their deputies took over the responsibilities.
Position | Officer | Hungarian | Latin |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Palatine | nádor | palatinus, comes palatinus |
2 | Voivode of Transylvania | erdélyi vajda | voivoda Transsylvaniae |
3 | Judge royal | országbíró | judex curiae regiae |
4 | Ban of Croatia, Ban of Macsó, Ban of Szörény | horvát bán, macsói bán, szörényi bán | banus totius Sclavoniae |
5 | Master of the treasury | tárnokmester | magister tavarnicorum, magister tavernocorum regalium or summus camerarius |
6 | Master of the doorkeepers | Ajtónállómester | Janitorum regalium magister |
7 | Master of the stewards | asztalnokmester | dapiferorum regalium magister |
8 | Master of the cupbearers | pohárnokmester | pincernarum regalium magister |
9 | Master of the horse | lovászmester | agasonum regalium magister |
10 | Ispán of Pozsony County and Temes County | pozsonyi és temesi ispán | comes Posoniensis and comes Temesiensis |
11 | Royal treasurer | kincstartó | summus thesaurarius |
12 | Ispán of the Székelys | székelyek ispánja | comes Siculorum |
13 | Privy Chancellor | titkos kancellár | cancellarius aulicus |
The office of Lord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary position of Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom. Currently held by the Earl of Shrewsbury, it is sometimes referred to as the Hereditary Great Seneschal. [12] While most of Ireland achieved independence in 1922, the title retains its original naming and scope rather than adjusting to reflect Northern Ireland as the sole portion of the province of Ulster remaining within the United Kingdom.
The title of Lord High Steward of Ireland was first bestowed in 1446 upon the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury by way of letters patent from King Henry VI. He was named Earl of Waterford and granted the hereditary office of Lord High Steward, to be passed down through the male heirs of his line. [13] The lineage has remained unbroken, and the current holder of the position is the 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury, tracing his right to the office directly back to that original royal charter over 570 years ago.This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2021) |
The following dignitaries were permanent members of the council in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland:
As of 2023, the Scottish Great Officers of State are as follows:
Order | Office [15] | Holder during 1707 | Current holder | Notes [15] [16] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Greater Officers of State | ||||
1 | Lord High Chancellor | James Ogilvy 1st Earl of Seafield | — | Merged with Lord High Chancellor of England in 1701 to form the office of Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. |
2 | Lord High Treasurer (Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General, and Treasurer of the New Augmentation) | In commission: Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland — James Ogilvy David Boyle The Honourable | — [lower-alpha 2] | Merged with Lord High Treasurer of England in 1701 to form the office of Lord High Treasurer of Great Britain. |
3 | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | James Douglas 2nd Duke of Queensberry | — | Vacant since the death of Gavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane in 1921. |
4 | Secretary of State | Hugh Campbell 3rd Earl of Loudoun | — | Office abolished in 1709. |
Lesser Officers of State | ||||
5 | Lord Clerk Register | James Murray Lord Philiphaugh | Elish Angiolini | Since 1817, also Keeper of the Signet in Scotland. [17] |
6 | Lord Advocate (His Majesty's (Lord) [lower-alpha 7] Advocate) | Sir James Stewart of Goodtrees | Dorothy Bain | — |
7 | Treasurer-depute | David Boyle 1st Earl of Glasgow | — | Office abolished by the Acts of Union 1707. |
8 | Lord Justice Clerk | Adam Cockburn Lord Ormiston | Leeona Dorrian Lady Dorrian | — |
Abolished Officers of State | ||||
n/a | Comptroller of Scotland | — | — | Merged into the office of Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. |
n/a | Master of Requests for Scotland | — | — | Merged into the office of Lord Secretary of Scotland. |
In the Kingdom of Sicily, which existed from 1130 to 1816, the Great Officers were officials of the Crown who inherited an office or were appointed to perform some mainly ceremonial functions or to act as members of the government. In particular, it was a Norman king, Roger II, who once he became King of Sicily and conquered the territories of Southern Italy was concerned with organizing the Kingdom politically. For this reason, in 1140, King Roger convened a Parliament in Palermo where the seven most important offices of the Kingdom of Sicily were established, to which the title of archons was given. [19] [20] [21]
The system has notable similarities with the English one, being both derived from Norman rulers, in which four of them had a certain correspondence with the officers of the court of the Franks, where there was a senescalk, a marchäl, a kämmerer, a kanzlèr; later reverted with the Great Officers of the Kingdom of France. [22]
With the pragmatic of November 6, 1569, on the reforms of the Courts, three Great Offices of the Kingdom are made the prerogative of the judiciary: the Great Chancellor by President of the Tribunal of the Sacred Royal Conscience; the Great Justiciar, whose functions had already been absorbed by President of the Tribunal of the Royal grand Court; and the Great Chamberlain by the President of the Tribunal of Royal Patrimony. [23]
The Great Officers of State of the former Kingdom of Sicily, consisting of Sicily and Malta, were:
Position | Officer | First and last holder [24] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Great Constable | - Robert of Hauteville - Fabrizio Pignatelli d’Aragona, duke of Monteleone | The Gran Conestabile was the commander of the army, in charge of judging the cases of military relevance, he was the highest [25] officer of the Kingdom |
2 | Great Admiral | - George of Antioch - Diego Pignatelli, prince of Castelvetrano | The Grande Ammiraglio dit amiratus amiratorum was the commander of the Navy of the Kingdom of Sicily. For a short time the title of granted with that of Count of Malta. This office was by far the most influential as the Sicilian navy was among the most powerful Christian fleets during the Middle Ages in the Mediterranean |
3 | Great Chancellor | - Guarin - marquess Antonio Ardizzone | The Gran Cancelliere kept and affixed the Seal of the Kingdom of Sicily. His functions could be compared to those of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the Hauteville’s dynasty most of the chancellors were ecclesiastics. From 1569 until 1816 the office was held ex officio by the President of the Tribunal of the Sacred Royal Conscience, the high-instance court |
4 | Great Justiciar | - Robert of Rocca | The Gran Giustiziere was the most senior judge and the head of the judiciary. Peter II made the office hereditary first to the Count of Mistretta and second to the Count of Agosta until the reform of 1569. From that date until 1816 the office was held ex officio by the President of the Tribunal of the Royal grand Court, the civil court |
5 | Great Chamberlain | - Richard of Mandra, Count of Molise - knight Michele Perremuto | The Gran Camerario had the role of treasurer, in fact he watched over the administration of public expenditure. The office soon became hereditary as prerogative of the Count of Geraci. From 1569 until 1816 the office was held ex officio by the President of the Tribunal of Royal Patrimony |
6 | Great Prothonotary | - Matthew of Ajello - Alfonso Ruiz (?) | The Gran Protonotaro was the notary of the Crown and secretary of the Sacred Royal Council and of the Parliament, the prothonotary had extensive functions in administrative matters and was the head of all notaries of the Kingdom. He had also particular skills in matters of feudal ceremony and investitures. The office was also a registering body for royal acts similar to the chancery |
7 | Great Seneschal | - Richard of Hauteville - Prince Francesco Statella, marquess of Spaccaforno | The Gran Siniscalco supervised the Royal Palace, providing the King and the court with provisions, supervising the royal forests, and hunting reserves. He was the Judge of the Royal House and its subordinate officers. In 1296 the office soon became hereditary as prerogative of the Count of Modica and it was later inherited by Marquess of Spaccaforno |
The prince-electors, pl. Kurfürsten, Czech: Kurfiřt, Latin: Princeps Elector) were the members of the electoral college that elected the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
Peerages in the United Kingdom form a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various ranks, and within the framework of the Constitution of the United Kingdom form a constituent part of the legislative process and the British honours system. The British monarch is considered the fount of honour and is notionally the only person who can grant peerages, though there are many conventions about how this power is used, especially at the request of the British government. The term peerage can be used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titled nobility, and individually to refer to a specific title. British peerage title holders are termed peers of the Realm.
A staff of office is a staff, the carrying of which often denotes an official's position, a social rank or a degree of social prestige.
The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is the minister of justice for the whole United Kingdom and the highest-ranking Great Officer of State in Scotland and England, nominally outranking the prime minister. The lord chancellor is appointed and dismissed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister. Prior to the union of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain, there were separate lord chancellors for the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. Likewise, the Lordship of Ireland and its successor states maintained the office of lord chancellor of Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, whereupon the office was abolished.
The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is one of the three Great Officers of the Household of the British monarch. He is, by tradition, the first great officer of the Court and he takes precedence of all other officers of the household.
The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor.
The Lord High Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in England, below the Lord High Steward and the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term justiciarius or justitiarius. The Chief Justiciar was the king's chief minister, roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland and Earl Talbot (1784) in the Peerage of Great Britain. Shrewsbury and Waterford are the oldest earldoms in their peerages held by someone with no higher title, and as such the Earl of Shrewsbury is sometimes described as the premier earl of England and Ireland.
The Great Officers of the Crown of France were the most important officers of state in the French royal court during the Ancien Régime and Bourbon Restoration. They were appointed by the King of France, with all but the Keeper of the Seals being appointments for life. These positions were neither transmissible nor hereditary.
Prince and Great Steward of Scotland is one of the titles of the heir apparent to the British throne. The holder since 8 September 2022 is Prince William, who bears the other Scottish titles of Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Isles and Baron of Renfrew.
The office of Lord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary position of Great Officer of State in the United Kingdom. Currently held by the Earl of Shrewsbury, it is sometimes referred to as the Hereditary Great Seneschal. While most of Ireland achieved independence in 1922, the title retains its original naming and scope rather than adjusting to reflect Northern Ireland as the sole portion of the province of Ulster remaining within the United Kingdom.
Court appointments are the traditional positions within a royal, ducal, or noble household. In the early Middle Ages, when such households were established, most court officials had either domestic or military duties; the monarch's closest advisers were those who served in the household. However, as time went by, most of these positions became hereditary, and their role in the running of the household was gradually eroded. In England, for instance, the Lord Great Chamberlain and the Earl Marshal were originally responsible for the running of the royal household and the royal stables respectively; however, from the late medieval period onwards, their roles became largely honorary, their places in the household being taken by the Lord Chamberlain and the Master of the Horse.
Vice Great Seneschal of Ireland or Deputy Lord High Steward of Ireland, is not a formal title of office, but describes a functional role under the aegis of the Hereditary Great Seneschal or Lord High Steward of Ireland, the latter acting under royal authority dating back several centuries. The function of Vice Great Seneschal of Ireland was assigned to the Hereditary Seneschal or Lord Steward for Tyrconnell, Patrick Denis O'Donnell (1922–2005) and subsequently inherited by his son, Francis Martin O'Donnell.
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent them in a country and who may have a mandate to govern it in their name; in the latter case, it is synonymous with the position of regent, vicegerent, viceroy, king's lieutenant, governor, or deputy.
The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, from the large household that supports the sovereign to the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales, with fewer members.
The office of Lord High Constable of Ireland was used during coronations of the monarch of the United Kingdom after the Acts of Union 1800. The office was abolished after the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922.
The order of precedence in Ireland was fixed by Royal Warrant on 2 January 1897 during Ireland's ties to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
In the United Kingdom, the Great Officers of State are traditional ministers of the Crown who either inherit their positions or are appointed to exercise certain largely ceremonial functions or to operate as members of the government. Separate Great Officers exist for England and Wales, Scotland, and formerly for Ireland, though some exist for Great Britain and the United Kingdom as a whole.
[...] whenever there shall not be any such [Lord High Treasurer of the United Kingdom], it shall and may be lawful for his Majesty by letters patent under the great seal of Great Britain to appoint commissioners for executing the offices of treasurer of the Exchequer of Great Britain and lord high treasurer of Ireland; and such commissioners shall be called commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; and the said commissioners shall have all such powers and authorities in and through the whole of the said United Kingdom with respect to the collection, issuing, and application of the whole revenues of the United Kingdom [...]
The duties of keeper of the signet in Scotland shall be discharged by the lord register [...]