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Government inmedieval monarchies generally comprised the king's companions, later becoming theroyal household, from which the officers of state arose. These officers initially had household and governmental 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 They were superseded by new officers, or were absorbed by existing officers.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 theUnited Kingdom, theGreat Officers of State are traditional ministers ofThe 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 forEngland and forScotland, as well as formerly forIreland. It was the same in the Kingdoms ofSicily andNaples. 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 theNorman Conquest, England adopted the officers from theNormandy Ducal court (which was modelled after the French court) with asteward,chamberlain andconstable. 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split into two counterparts in Great Officer of the State and officer of the royal household, while other offices were superseded by new offices or absorbed by existing offices.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 theRoyal Household.[3] The Great Officers then gradually expanded to cover multiple duties, and have now become largely ceremonial.
TheGreat Officers of the Crown of France (French:Grands officiers de la couronne de France) were the most important officers of state in the Frenchroyal court during theAncien Régime andBourbon Restoration. They were appointed by theKing of France, with all but theKeeper of the Seals being appointments for life. These positions were neither transmissible nor hereditary.
During the time of theFirst French Empire, the equivalent officers were known as theGrand Dignitaries of the French Empire. The Great Officers of the Crown of France should not be confused with the similarly namedGreat Officers of the Royal Household of France (Grands officiers de la maison du roi de France), which share certain officers, headed by theGrand Master of France.
Princes elector held a "High Office of the Empire" (Reichserzämter) analogous to a modern Cabinet office and were members of the ceremonialImperial Household. The three spiritual electors were Arch-Chancellors (German:Erzkanzler,Latin:Archicancellarius): theArchbishop of Mainz was Arch-Chancellor of Germany, theArchbishop of Cologne was Arch-Chancellor of Italy, and theArchbishop 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—ordexter, 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 theescutcheon, 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 |
.svg) .svg) | Arch-Chamberlain | Erzkämmerer | Archicamerarius | Elector of Brandenburg |
 | Arch-Bannerbearer | Erzbannerträger | Archivexillarius | Elector of Württemberg[11] |
In theKingdom of Hungary the Great Officers of State were non-hereditary court officials originally appointed by the king, later some of them were elected by theDiet. They were also called the barons of the kingdom (Hungarian:országbárók, országnagyok) andlords banneret because they were obliged to lead their ownBanderium (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 orsummus 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 ofPozsony County andTemes County | pozsonyi és temesi ispán | comes Posoniensis andcomes Temesiensis |
| 11 | Royal treasurer | kincstartó | summus thesaurarius |
| 12 | Ispán of theSzékelys | székelyek ispánja | comes Siculorum |
| 13 | Privy Chancellor | titkos kancellár | cancellarius aulicus |
The office ofLord High Steward of Ireland is a hereditary position ofGreat Officer of State in theUnited Kingdom. Currently held by theEarl of Shrewsbury, it is sometimes referred to as the Hereditary Great Seneschal.[12] While most ofIreland achieved independence in 1922, the title retains its original naming and scope rather than adjusting to reflectNorthern Ireland as the sole portion of theprovince ofUlster remaining within the United Kingdom.
The title of Lord High Steward of Ireland was first bestowed in 1446 uponJohn Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury by way of letters patent from KingHenry VI. He was namedEarl 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 isCharles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Shrewsbury, tracing his right to the office directly back to that original royal charter over 570 years ago.![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2021) |
The following dignitaries were permanent members of the council in theCrown 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 1stEarl 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 | —[b] | 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 2ndDuke of Queensberry | — | Vacant since the death ofGavin Campbell, 1st Marquess of Breadalbane in 1921. |
| 4 | Secretary of State | Hugh Campbell 3rdEarl of Loudoun | — | Office abolished in 1709. |
| Lesser Officers of State | ||||
| 5 | Lord Clerk Register | James Murray Lord Philiphaugh | Elish Angiolini | Since 1817, alsoKeeper of the Signet in Scotland.[17] |
| 6 | Lord Advocate (His Majesty's (Lord)[g] Advocate) | SirJames Stewart of Goodtrees | Dorothy Bain | — |
| 7 | Treasurer-depute | David Boyle 1stEarl of Glasgow | — | Office abolished by theActs of Union 1707. |
| 8 | Lord Justice Clerk | Adam Cockburn Lord Ormiston | John Beckett Lord Beckett | — |
| 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 theKingdom of Sicily, which existed from 1130 to 1816, the Great Officers were officials of theCrown 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 aNorman king,Roger II, who once he becameKing of Sicily and conquered the territories ofSouthern Italy was concerned with organizing the Kingdom politically. For this reason, in 1140, King Roger convened aParliament inPalermo where the seven most important offices of the Kingdom of Sicily were established, to which the title ofarchons was given.[19][20][21]
The system has notable similarities with the English one, being both derived fromNorman rulers, in which four of them had a certain correspondence with the officers of the court of theFranks, where there was asenescalk, amarchäl, akämmerer, akanzlèr; later reverted with theGreat Officers of the Kingdom of France.[22]
With thepragmatic sanction 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 ofSicily andMalta, were:
| Position | Officer | First and last holder[24] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Constable | -Robert of Hauteville -Fabrizio Pignatelli d’Aragona, duke ofMonteleone | TheGran 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 ofCastelvetrano | TheGrande Ammiraglio ditamiratus amiratorum was the commander of theNavy of the Kingdom of Sicily. For a short time the title of granted with that ofCount 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 theMediterranean |
| 3 | Great Chancellor | -Guarin - marquess AntonioArdizzone | TheGran Cancelliere kept and affixed theSeal of the Kingdom of Sicily. His functions could be compared to those of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. During theHauteville’s dynasty most of the chancellors wereecclesiastics. From 1569 until 1816 the office was heldex officio by the President of the Tribunal of the Sacred Royal Conscience, thehigh-instance court |
| 4 | Great Justiciar | - Robert of Rocca | TheGran Giustiziere was the most seniorjudge and the head of thejudiciary.Peter II made the office hereditary first to the Count ofMistretta and second to the Count ofAgosta until the reform of 1569. From that date until 1816 the office was heldex 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 | TheGran Camerario had the role oftreasurer, in fact he watched over the administration ofpublic expenditure. The office soon became hereditary as prerogative of theCount ofGeraci. From 1569 until 1816 the office was heldex officio by the President of the Tribunal of Royal Patrimony |
| 6 | Great Prothonotary | -Matthew of Ajello - Alfonso Ruiz (?) | TheGran Protonotaro was thenotary of the Crown and secretary of theSacred Royal Council and of theParliament, 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 offeudal ceremony andinvestitures. The office was also a registering body for royal acts similar to thechancery |
| 7 | Great Seneschal | -Richard of Hauteville - Prince Francesco Statella, marquess ofSpaccaforno | TheGran Siniscalco supervised theRoyal 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 theCount of Modica and it was later inherited by Marquess ofSpaccaforno |
[...] 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 [...]