The Crown: documents under the Great Seal of England
"The Crown" has since the Middle Ages represented the monarch or somethign akin to 'state'. The concept of the Crown took forum under the feudal system where all rights and privileges were ultimately bestowed by the ruler - in England's case the monarch. All official documents from about the 11th -19th centuries carried a wax impression of an appropriate seal to authenticate them. the Great Seal of England typically portrayed the king on horseback, with drawn sword and a shield bearing the royal arms on one side and on the reverse the monarch would be enthroned with the crown and sceptre of state.






