At the Center of Power. Relations Between the Royal Court and the Chancery During the Reign of Stephen Báthory. An Outline of the Problem

Abstract

The article presents a research approach to the royal court and the royal chancery that differs from the most common historical studies, which usually examine the history and personnel of these institutions separately. It proposes moving beyond organizational frameworks of the court and the chancery and treating them together as an instrument of monarchical power. This new, so called functional perspective focuses on how the state was governed and on the roles played by courtiers and chancery officials. These groups often had to cooperate or even stand in for each other in order to accomplish assigned tasks. One of the most significant issues in this regard was communication between the ruler and his immediate circle (the center) and the provinces (the country). This communication was carried out by the personnel of both institutions, each responsible for specific stages of the process. In addition, the article points to instances in which the court and the chancery complemented each other or even rendered mutual services essential to the functioning of central administration. The reign of Stephen Báthory serves as an illustrative example.