kids encyclopedia robot

Doctrine of capacities facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The doctrine of capacities was a big idea in medieval England. It said that the King was actually two different things. There was the King as a person, like Edward or William. But there was also the King as an institution, which meant the Crown itself. The Crown was like the never-ending office of the King, separate from the person wearing it.

This idea started way back after the Norman Conquest. People began to see a difference between church leaders as spiritual figures and as landowners. For example, William the Conqueror once took his brother, Odo of Bayeux, to court. Odo was a bishop, and he said that regular courts couldn't judge him. But William argued that he was judging Odo not as a bishop, but as the Earl of Kent, a powerful landowner.

Later, during the time of King Edward I, this idea was used for other important roles. It helped explain the different duties of the Lord Chancellor, a top government official. King Edward I even used this idea himself. He tried to take back a gift he had given when he was a prince. He argued that as king, he was a different "person" than he was as a prince.

What Happened with King Edward II?

This idea became very important during the rule of King Edward II.

Challenging the King

In April 1308, some powerful nobles, called barons, used the doctrine of capacities. They wanted to get rid of King Edward II's close friend, Piers Gaveston. The barons wrote a special paper, known as the Declaration of 1308. They said it was their duty to protect the Crown's honor, even if it meant going against the King himself. Normally, going against the King would be seen as treason, a very serious crime. But they argued they were protecting the Crown, not harming the King's personal role.

The Idea Loses Power

However, things changed in 1321. The same group of nobles who had opposed Edward II changed their minds. They accused another of the King's friends, Hugh Despenser the Younger, of being part of the 1308 Declaration. By doing this, they made the doctrine of capacities seem less important. After this, the idea was not used much anymore in medieval times.

See also

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Doctrine of capacities Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.