ABSTRACT
Central government refers to the bureaucratic machine that administered the medieval lordship of Ireland on behalf of the king of England. From 1171, the English king found it necessary to put in place a system that allowed him to govern his subjects in Ireland and preserve and develop his rights there from a distance. While recent research has identified considerable continuity in many features of settlement, economy, and society in Ireland before and after the conquest, in the sphere of government there was little recognizable administration with which the Anglo-Normans could link. Therefore, in most respects, the machinery of government had to be modeled on that found in England, where by the end of the twelfth century an organized administrative system was taking shape, which could be imposed on the newly conquered lands.
