Raphael 2

During the medieval period, England developed a centralized bureaucracy to manage finances and administer justice. This helped in the formation of a unified legal system and strengthened central authority. Over time, the bureaucracy became more professional and specialized, managing fiscal policies, international diplomacy, and colonial administration. The bureaucracy also supported the functioning of parliaments, balancing royal prerogatives with emerging parliamentary power. As England established colonies and expanded trade, the bureaucratic apparatus grew. England's administration differed from other European countries due to its insularity, lack of a centralized army, and a focus on merit and competence in the civil service. Internal conflicts and the establishment of constitutional monarchy also reduced royal power. Local government structures played a significant role in administration, decentralizing power. This led to England's political system being controlled by a ruling soc These are the Conquest Chronicles, the podcast on England's road to power from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 3 of the Conquest Chronicles. I am Raphael and today we are going to talk about bureaucracy. Why bureaucracy? Well, according to Max Weber, a famous German social scientist of the end of the 18th century, the modern state is an administrative and legal order subject to change by legislation and to which the organized activities of the administrative staff are oriented. Whether we fully agree with this statement or not, one relevant point this definition can help us underline is that it is a key feature for any state that wants to be considered modern to possess a large and efficient bureaucracy. Indeed, since the medieval period, the influence of bureaucracy on the state building of England was profound and had lasting impacts on the development of the modern British state. Let's take a closer look at how this happened. During the medieval period, England began to develop a centralized bureaucracy primarily to manage royal finances and administer justice. The establishment of the H. Chequers in the 12th century under the reign of King Henry I is one of the earliest examples. This institution was responsible for collecting taxes, managing royal revenues and funding the functions of the estates which were crucial for maintaining royal authority and governance across England. The bureaucracy also played a critical role in the formation and administration of common law. The itinerant justices and later the establishment of permanent courts like the courts of the common pleas at the end of the 12th century helped in the administration of law and justice uniformly across the kingdom. This not only helped in state building but also in the creation of a unified legal system across England strengthening the central authority. Then, over time, as the administration grew, so did the need for a more professional bureaucracy. This was particularly notable from the Tudor period onwards where an increase in the complexity of governance functions led to the specialization of roles within the bureaucracy. This professionalization helped in the efficient management of state affairs from fiscal policies to international diplomacy and even colonial administration. The growth of bureaucracy also paralleled the development of parliament. The bureaucratic administration provided the necessary support for the functioning of parliaments influencing legislative processes and the implementation of laws. This indirection was crucial in shaping a governance model that balanced royal prerogatives with the emerging rights and power of parliaments. And this is something Gabriel will talk about in the next episode too. Finally, we can also mention that from the 16th century onwards as England began to establish overseas colonies and expand its trade the bureaucratic apparatus expanded significantly. Institutions like the admiralty and the treasury evolved to deal with the complexities of an empire and international trade necessitating a more robust bureaucratic system to manage the expanded roles of the states. However, now that this is mentioned, there are some similarities about England's administration that can be underlined. Similarities that had influence on the way the English state was built and it can also be interesting to look at this also to understand to what extent bureaucracy can influence the direction a state can take. First, because of its insularity, England didn't have the same necessities as other countries in Europe for a centralized army. In fact, the only major need for external security for England was to have a strong navy. This led to a lack of a need for the presence of a strong state and monarch being in control of the centralization of the power and of the bureaucracy. In opposition to absolutist models that were starting to appear in Europe at the time. Also, the development of a professional civil service in England promoted a bureaucracy that was less tied to personal loyalty to the monarch and more focused on merit and competence. This reduced the monarch's ability to wield absolute power through patronage and personal networks. Moreover, another reason for this development was internal conflicts such as the English Civil War from 1642 to 1651 and, as we mentioned, the Glorious Revolution of 1688. This conflict led to the establishment of constitutional monarchy and greater checks on royal power. Finally, in England, local government structures including county and municipal councils played a significant role in administration reducing the concentration of power in the central government. All of this led to England's political system becoming a center without a genuine state that never managed to get out of the hands of a ruling social class made by both the nobility and the aristocracy. This would lead to a state policy being more focused on mercantilism and more and more liberalism but this will be talked more in depth in our next episode. Thank you for listening to the Conquest Chronicles don't forget to subscribe wherever you found this podcast and I'll see you in the conclusion.