What Kind of Power Did a Medieval Monarch Actually Have?

A revival of the fantasy genre in recent years has also brought about a revival of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages. With an endless array of titles, we are sure that you can easily visualise scenes from some Hollywood, TV or streaming service production, in which mounted knights charge at a line of terrified spearmen, tattooed Vikings pillage an unfortunate monastery, or some poor sod gets fried in boiling oil while storming a castle.

Decades ago in popular perception, knights and jesters sported lively colours, a fashionable bob hairstyle, and armour was usually shining. In more recent years, it seems more like Medieval Europe is constantly smothered in grey and mud, and knights are more interested in oppressing peasants than abiding to their alleged code of chivalry, which, accurate. See our video Did Any Medieval Knight Ever Rescue a Damsel in Distress.

But for whatever reason, popular culture is besotted with the Middle Ages.

The King. The Queen. The Emperors. The Monarchs. Whether evil or righteous, they are frequently portrayed as wielders of absolute power, whose will and authority are uncontested.

It only takes their word to bestow incredible fortune on the story’s protagonist or redress some criminal wrong. And it only takes their whim to heavily tax the poor, burn down some village, behead a jester whose jokes are no longer funny. Or more directly, to unleash a war for their own gain.

But how much of any of that representation corresponds to reality? What kind of power did a Medieval monarch actually have?

This video is #sponsored by Squarespace.

Host: Simon Whistler
Author: Arnaldo Teodorani
Editor: Daven Hiskey
Producer: Samuel Avila

[Ithirahad]

If the Magna Carta basically protects any freeman from random seizure of property, guarantees a speedy trial with witnesses, and guarantees them limited freedom of movement, why do I keep hearing that somehow it was 'just for nobles' or similar? Of course there were a lot of serfs for whom none of this directly mattered, but plenty of effectively random nobodies were freemen.

[woolenthreads]

ROFL, "Thegns" properly pronounced "Thanes". Sorry, I know you'd have no way to know that without being informed or having a lot of exposure to the use of the word (I like to read :D)

[bellasmom]

Simon as always sounds clear crisp and reading out loud faster than most people can read silently. He is a legend!

[bipolarminddroppings]

Depends on which monarch, in which country, in what year...

[sandorpallo]

after 150 years of ottoman occupation, we in hungary have a word for leader : vezér - you pronounce it almost exactly like you do vizier

[agent_meister]

I think you'd make a great jester Simon.

[leedavis]

I don't know, thanks to inflation that jesters rent should've been raised to 4 farts a year instead of money. But what does a peasant like me know?

[sarameyrick]

Love Simons writers, they teach me so much about so much 😊❤❤❤

[bloodofthelamb]

He had power and responsibility. Generally, he was reliant on the cooperation of the people and gross abuse of power, like the famed prima nocta, are only ever mentioned by foreign political opponents.

You were taught to think monarchy was evil, but 200 years of Democracy brought us the 20th Century.

[jean]

Nice comparative analysis. I really appreciate hearing about scholarship from non-Western institutions. History Youtube rarely has anything you can't find in Wikipedia, and that's fine, I appreciate having people read Wikipedia to me. But this was thought provoking. Thanks.

[jssamp]

Very interesting. The monarchs and barons could get away with harming and even killing the peasants, but they had to moderate themselves or risk rebellion. It is hard not to draw comparisons to our modern day barons and their knights, the political ruling class and police officers. Knights would rampage through a village and be thought praise-worthy if the managed not to kill some of the peasants. Kind of like police and Qualified Immunity. Our politicians can enrich themselves by any number of shady dealings, as long as they don't go too far. But the definition of "too far" is fluid at best. They are able and willing to sacrifice the workers who voted for them, if it pleases their wealthy benefactors. But if they raise the ire of a sufficient number of the servants, they can be removed. Deposed like the Pope's letter of deposition. Their seat in Congress up for grabs. The parallels are boundless, almost like the similarities between a recent president and a certain German ruler with a funny mustache.

[ozwolf]

This needs a part 2, covering non-european "absolute" rulers of similar civilizations, if not exact time periods.

[PeckhamHall]

I think who ever type your script up got their dates mixed up.

[thatsharshman.]

Bro, the British government pays over 100 million to keep its monarch, which keeps these people billionaires.

[IRMacGuyver]

Okay now do a video on all the kings that went mad with power and ignored these checks and balances that supposedly existed.

[neillinney]

King John ruled 1199 to 1216...not 1118 to 1216,

[WilliamNail-tf]

Commenting to increase Simon's presence in the algorithm.

[stephjovi]

To begin with lets define what we mean by middle ages. This video is brought to you by square space.

Gotta say I learned something new. I didn't expect that square space is the definition of middle ages 😇

[Kylersinjin]

Almost as much power as corporations have now

[mohammedsaysrashid]

MiddleEast exactly 💯 still living in the past European Medieval circumstances politically...with modernized tools and[ ( God well) - USA] banking of MiddleEast authoritatives..