The Way of KingsSýnishorn

The Royal Council

Often when we hear the stories of kings, presidents, and rulers throughout history, in our limited perspective they appear to have accomplished great feats on their own. But if we take a closer look at any influential figure in history, we almost always find that they had help.

Curia regis is the Latin term for “royal council.” It is a term that originated about a thousand years ago and was used to describe a special position of councilors and advisors to the kings of Normandy and England. The royal council held positions of authority in which they provided insight, wisdom, and perspective to whoever sat on the throne.

History is filled with stories of both good and bad leaders, but one of the common threads I have seen in the ones we consider great is that they surrounded themselves with wise councilors and advisors—their own curia regis.

A good king knows the weight of his decisions on the world and is well acquainted with his humanity. He knows we each have limited insight and that to rule well, we must humble ourselves to hear the perspective of others.

In Scripture, we see King David had his own curia regis throughout his reign in the form of both political advisors and prophets. For example, he valued people like Nathan (my namesake), who would call David back to God’s truth when he strayed. David, in his humility, was willing to listen to others around him.

If we seek to be good leaders of our kingdoms, we cannot do it alone. It takes humility as well as strength to admit this. To rule our lives well, we must seek out and turn our hearts toward insight from wise individuals around us. We must find our own curia regis.

This will look different in our lives than it did for the kings of old, but the principle still stands. For us to rule well, we must allow the voices and insight of others into our lives. These voices might come from our fathers and mothers, or perhaps from a church or work mentor we meet with once a month. Or maybe the voice is a therapist who can offer a listening ear and a wise word in our stressful lives.

Whoever it is, whatever form it takes, we must find our own curia regis.

Do you have wise friends around you? If so, what makes them wise? How do you live differently when you have wise people around you?