What was the “pragmatic sanction” (in medieval/late medieval context) generally about?

The story behind the answer

In the later Middle Ages, a “pragmatic sanction” was a sovereign’s formal ordinance used to assert national control over church affairs at the expense of Rome. These edicts typically adopted conciliar principles, restricted papal provisions and annates (taxes), favored local election of bishops and abbots, and limited appeals to the papal curia—thereby strengthening royal oversight of their realm’s clergy.

The classic case is the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges (1438), issued by Charles VII of France, which enshrined the decrees of the Council of Basel and the “liberties of the Gallican Church.” Don’t confuse this with the much later Habsburg Pragmatic Sanction (1713) about dynastic succession; in the medieval context, the term most often signaled a move to check papal authority and align ecclesiastical governance with royal interests.