France
Administrative Offices
The French government did not so much develop new offices as it developed existing offices and formalized their role.
The Royal Council was composed of princes of the blood, peers of the realm, plus additional members appointed by the king. This was the chief consultative body of the kingdom, the body to which the king turned for all matters of policy and action. It might meet with full membership, but often the king met with some sub-group, choosing to include those who he felt were the most important and informed. It wasvery large under Louis XI (about 60 members) but was smaller under Charles VIII and Louis XII in the early 1500s.
The Council might form sub-committees to handle specific cases or tasks or legislation. It was not so much a formal body as it was a pool of the most important men in France, who acted in concert to aid the king.
The Chancellor was the highest judicial officer of the crown. He was appointed for life, though the king could remove him at will. Two types of cases were his special province: appeals, and treason. With the treason laws, the Chancellor could prosecute the enemies of the crown. In the matter of cases appealed from lesser courts, the Chancellor could control which cases were heard, effectively giving an ear to some voices and ignoring others. This office was very important during the late Middle Ages.
The Constable was the chief military officer of the crown. He was not exactly commander in chief, for the king held that role, but he was both chief of staff and a field general. That is, his duty was the raising and maintaining of royal armies, and also he could command an army in the field if the kig were indisposed.