Curia regis

Curia regis (ˈkuː.ri.a ˈreː.d͡ʒis) is a Latin term meaning "royal council" or "king's court". It was the name given to councils of advisers and administrators in medieval Europe who served kings, including kings of France, Norman kings of England and Sicily, kings of Poland and the kings and queens of Scotland. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the central governing body of the Kingdom of England was called the curia regis. Before the Conquest, the Anglo-Saxons called this body the witan, and English writers continued to use this term as well. It corresponded to the placitum generale of the Frankish kingdoms, and this name was also applied to the English curia regis. It was similar to, but not the same as, the curia ducis which served the Dukes of Normandy. The curia regis conducted the business of state whether legislative, judicial, or diplomatic. Its membership was the tenants-in-chief (i.e. the baronage, including bishops and abbots) along with the great officers of state and of the royal household, such as the chancellor, constable, treasurer or chamberlain, marshal, and steward. Occasionally, these would be summoned by the king to meet as a magnum concilium (Latin for "great council"). In between great councils, the curia regis remained in session; though, its membership was much smaller. The smaller curia was composed of royal officers and barons attending the monarch. English kings had itinerant courts during this period, and the small curia followed the king in all his travels. As they traveled the kingdom, the king and curia often heard suitors in person. The powers and functions of the great council and the small curia were identical since they were considered the same institution meeting under different circumstances. During the 13th century, the great council and the small curia separated into two distinct bodies. The great council evolved into Parliament and the small curia evolved into the Privy Council. The small curia regis then is "the very distant ancestor of the modern executive, the Cabinet acting for the authority of the crown.