The cabildo consisted of several types of officials. There were four to twelve "regidores", depending on the size and importance of the municipality. "Regidores", were not just deliberative officers, but all shared in the administration of the territory, dividing tasks among themselves. Initially the "regidores" were elected by all the heads of household. In the late Middle Ages, these elections often turned violent, with citizens forming bands to control elections and even resorting to murder. To minimize this kings began to appoint a certain number of, or even all of, the "regidores" in certain cities. By the modern era different cabildos had different mixes of elected and appointed "regidores" both on the Peninsula and overseas. Finally, to add another layer of control, the kings introduced "corregidores" to represent them directly and preside over the cabildos. Although many municipalities lost their right to elect all or some of their "regidores" as time went on, cities and cabildos gained new power with the development of the Castilian and Leonese parliaments (the "cortes") because cities had a right to representation in them.