RULING CLASSES AND AGENTS OF THE STATE - FORMAL AND INFORMAL NETWORKSOF POWER

This article examines the power-sharing in England in the later Middle Ages considering definitions of where public authority and private po wer begin and end. It is argued that the English polity resembled more a multiple corporation than a joint-stock company; private and public interest were as inextricably confused as were public and private aut hority. The essay answers questions provoked by this observation. Who served whom? Who managed whom? Was the government of England rendered less effectual by the disputes among kings, nobles and gentlemen as to what share of power each was to have? Was 'England' damaged by the st rife and the striving of individuals, whether royal, noble, or gentle, which the untidy meshing of private and landed power with public and governmental authority made if not inevitable then certainly commonpla ce?