Medieval Kingdoms: Rise of Royal Power & Decline of Feudalism

Medieval Kingdoms: The Rise of Royal Power

Medieval kingdoms were characterized by a marked polycentrism, where the heritage and character of power depended mainly on land ownership. In the kingdoms from the 11th century, estate representation bodies began to proliferate: Courts, Parliaments, Estates-General, where the King met with the bourgeoisie, the higher clergy, and nobility.

The King's Tax Battle with the Towns

Distinct battles were fought here; the most characteristic is the king's tax battle with the towns. The king needed money to fund his campaigns and shore up his authority among the feudal lords, and only the cities were able to provide it (in exchange for something). This brought up the system of covenants between the king and cities: the cities agreed to vote for taxes in exchange for privileges, guarantees of political freedom, and security, both commercial and physical.

The Rise of Assemblies and Royal Authority

In continental Europe, the king negotiated taxes with representatives of cities to bring together the Assemblies of Estates. These assemblies began to drive the kingdom, reinforcing the idea of a unified command within a defined territory and with a supreme authority, the King. European monarchies began constructing a symbology and ideology of the king as the supreme temporal power in his realm, with the legitimacy conferred on it by divine right.

The Decline of the Papacy and the Empire

The consolidation of the kingdoms benefited from the failure of the Papacy and the Empire to reconstruct a power in Christianity and an effective unit, as Charlemagne did. Both powers would be weakened, and from their struggle, the western kingdoms would be strengthened.

The Formation of the State

In this way, the kingdoms were taking the form of states. The question is whether the support that cities lent to the king in exchange for privileges and freedoms is an insufficient explanation for the progressive weakening of the feudal organization of power.

Further Considerations

• It also remains to be seen whether the failure of the Papacy and the Empire is the whole explanation for the triumph of the kingdoms in the 16th century.
• Michael Mann developed a theory that seeks to understand the consolidation of the Western European kingdoms. According to Mann, their strength pushed them to rush to open new trade routes and to seek riches across the continent.
• For Mann, it is the conflict itself, the war between the kingdoms of Europe, that pushed the Kings to a relentless quest for support and resources in their own realms.
• The king lacked the force necessary to extract the resources he needed imperatively for war. To obtain them, he had to resort to negotiation with sectors of society who were able to provide them and could take advantage of doing so.