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| TKTB (4) |
Typically, when you mention the Kings Two Bodies Theory, no one has any idea what you are talking about, or very little of what you are talking about. When you first hear the word 'King', what initially do you think of?
Pause.
If you said King Henry VIII, or King Charles III, you would not be wrong. But today, we are bringing all our attention to the notorious theory known as The Kings Two Bodies Theory.
The Theory of the Kings Two Bodies goes all the way back to the Middle Ages, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was initially developed when English lawyer Sir Edmund Plowden had proposed the idea that after a king dies, he has two bodies: Natural and Political bodies.To put it in other terms, "the King's natural body dies and the political body continues as its successor" (2). This could also be a way too establish power between the monarchies and its people. If citizens fear the power of the king, they will be patient to obey the successor after the king dies, if they are under the impression of the king and the body are the same person.
To understand what Plowden is talking about, I have included some of Plowden's definitions.
- Immortal Metaphysical Entity - Body politic migrates from one monarch to the next throughout history.
- Collective entity - Body politic contained all English people through this process.
Plowden believed this theory to be common in a medieval political world, as did many others who came after him. "He defined the body politic in two ways: as an immortal metaphysical entity and as a collective entity." (2). This is believed to be a philosophical method explaining how a person has two souls: one that they leave behind as a legacy for future generations and peers, and one that carries on into the afterlife In his reports however, the body politic details the king as the head and the subjects as the members.
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| Edmund Plowden - 15th Century (2) |
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| Ernest Kantorowicz - 1957 (1). |
In 1957, a historian at Princeton University, Ernest Kantorowicz decided to write a novel depicting this theory from centuries ago (1). He wrote this novel because he wanted to understand how theorists in the Middle Ages, like Plowden, understood the purpose of the king and office. This novel, "describes the figure of an European Monarch as a unique product of religious and legal traditions that produce the notion of the 'king' as simultaneously a person and an embodiment of the community of the realm." (1). The image of the 'king' is depicted so differently among the realm of pop culture, especially with the image of Christ upon a cross, which is often depicted as a grave, tragic event. Yet, has had many interpretations over the centuries. The realm refers to the two bodies the king has (3). This is also where the concept of the body and soul approach. The physical body is obviously the body whilst the soul represents the body's immortality.
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| Today's monarchy in England (3) |
I had never heard of the King's Two Bodies before, aside from the time it was brought up briefly in class. Its interesting how this explained the belief of people having two souls, though I wonder if this extended beyond those of Kingly status. Not to mention if people at the time believed in this theory, it would bring a fascinating dynamic to them and their ruler.
ReplyDeleteIn my Arthurian course last year, I found the King's Two Bodies to be most interesting in the context of the romance legends we analyzed about King Arthur. The texts we read examined the dynamic in an interesting way, actually inviting conflict between the two bodies. In our texts, King Arthur had to choose between defending his wife, Queen Guinevere, when her affair with Sir Lancelot was revealed, or standing by his kingdom.
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