Jedi High Council

The Jedi High Council, simply known as the Jedi Council, was a body of twelve Jedi Masters that governed the Jedi Order. Headquartered in the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant, the High Council worked with the Galactic Senate to maintain peace and justice in the Galactic Republic. In addition, the High Council tracked the progress of the Jedi training of Padawans, deciding when the time was right for an apprentice to undergo the Jedi Trials in order to attain the rank of Jedi Knight, and from there, the rank of Master. The High Council also enforced the Jedi Code and traditionally selected its own members, including the Master of the Order who functioned as the body's presiding officer. During the late Republic Era, legendary Jedi Masters such as Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Grand Master Yoda comprised the High Council.

The High Council adopted a leadership role in the Grand Army of the Republic as a result of the Clone Wars, working with Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine and the Republic Military to defeat the Confederacy of Independent Systems in a pan-galactic conflict. However, relations between the High Council and Palpatine became strained during the war, especially after Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker was appointed to the Council's ranks to represent the Office of the Chancellor. The revelation that Palpatine was actually Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith, caused several members of the High Council to move against him in a failed attempt to prevent the Sith from returning to power. Most of the Jedi were subsequently purged from the galaxy, allowing Sidious to declare himself Emperor of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY.