ABSTRACT
From the early days of the Irish lordship the chief governor was expected to act with the advice of the feudal tenants-in-chief, who were, in turn, required to proffer this advice as part of their feudal obligations. As the central government expanded, the King’s Council in Ireland included more and more permanent salaried officials. The Great Councils, when the king’s officers were joined by the chief magnates of the land, gradually evolved in the course of the thirteenth century into parliamentary sessions, as in England.
