THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD

The royal household was among the most vital and complex political institutions within the medieval state. As the most immediate department to the king, it was naturally the primary vehicle for exercising royal authority and supporting the governance of the realm. Therefore, it played a highly visible and undeniably significant role in diplomacy, ceremony, warfare, and administration.

By Alexander R. Brondarbit

The foremost function of the royal household was to satisfy the king’s needs. It saw to his requirements both basic and complex, providing food, drink, shelter, security, companionship, money, and religious comfort. Staff and structure Structurally, it was divided into ‘above stairs’ and ‘below stairs’, with several sub-divisions contained within each. The above stairs, or ‘upper’ household, gradually evolved into the great, privy, and bed chambers. Made to impress with its magnificence and spectacle, it was the gathering place for courtiers, nobles, and prominent visitors. The knights and esquires of the body, grooms, valets, and ushers operated within this space under the direction of the chamberlain. It was largely staffed by the gentle born and the politically powerful who were afforded enviable access to the monarch in the most intimate of spaces. In…

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Medieval World Culture & Conflict (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 8 - 2023

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