(Lat. concilium), in a general sense, an assembly of persons summoned or convened for consultation, deliberation, or advice.

In Britain the history of parliamentary government is in a great measure that of the amalgamation of an advising council to the monarch, a meeting of chiefs or representatives, and an assemblage of feudal vassals. The council of the monarch became subsequently a separate body in the privy council, when at a later period it came to be the practice to select a smaller administrative body called the cabinet. See CABINET, PARLIAMENT, PRIVY COUNCIL, &c.

Council of War, an assembly of the principal officers of an army or fleet, called by the general or admiral who commands, to concert measures for their conduct.

Church History, an assembly of prelates, convened for the purpose of regulating affairs relative to the doctrine and discipline of the church. The exact number of these it is impossible to ascertain. Sir Harris Nicolas estimates them at 1604. The title of Occasional or general, is given to those which are regarded as representing the universal church. Of these the adherents of the Church of Rome generally acknowledge eighteen as regular and infallible, but differ materially among themselves in regard to the individual councils which are to be included in the list. The Italians, and immediate dependents of the Pope, accept three, viz., those of Lyons, Florence, and the fifth Lateran, which the French deny, and replace by the Councils of Pisa, Constance, and Basle. These rival councils swell the list to twenty-one, which convened as follows:

| Place | Business | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Nice (1.) | Heresy of Arius, | | Constantinople (1.) | Apollinaris, | | Ephesus | Nestorius, | | Chalcedon | Eutyches and Dioscoris, | | Constantinople (2.), Do. | Origen and Theodore, | | Constantinople (3.), Do. | Monothelites, | | Nice (2.) | Regulation of image worship | | Constantinople (4.), Heresy of Photius | | Lateran (1.) | Right of investiture | | Lateran (2.) | Temporalities and ecclesiastics | | Lateran (3.) | The decrees of the antipopes, and suppression of the Vandals | | Lateran (4.) | Albigenses and Crusades | | Lyons (1.) | Excommunication of Frederick II. | | Lyons (2.) | Procession of the Holy Spirit | | Vienna | Suppression of Knights Templars | | Pisa | Deposition of Benedict XIII. | | Constance | Condemnation of Wycliffe, Huss, and Jerome | | Basle | Reformation of the Clergy | | Florence | Schism of the Greeks and Latins | | Lateran (6.) | Pragmatic sanction; Turkish war | | Trent | Condemnation of the Reformers |