38. Elections Existed in the Middle Ages
Elections might not have been as widespread and regular in the Middle Ages as they are today, nor did they have anything like universal suffrage, but medieval people did have elections. They routinely elected aldermen, members of parliament, bishops, abbots, popes, and sometimes even kings. There were, of course, important differences between medieval elections and modern ones, not least among them just how narrow was the slice of the population that got to do any electing. However, there were also striking parallels, chief among them the belief that elections conferred legitimacy.
Views on elections were ambivalent in the Middle Ages. On the one hand, the medieval belief in elections was based on examples from the Bible, such as the Old Testament accounts of the Israelites electing Judges and Kings. Also, kings sometimes died without issue, the papacy was not hereditary, and town burghers needed to select people to fill local government positions. On the other hand, elections were also seen as occasions for strife, and potential starting points for riots, rebellions, or civil war.
