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COURT of the King
Click here: For a list of Court titles & office holders & here : For the Basics of Court Politics
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| The King's Household of approximately 500 people had 2 departments: | ||
| 1. "The Chamber" or domus magnificentiae which was the household above stairs & was run by the Lord Chamberlain (the most important figure at court). He was in charge of all court entertainments, he supervised distribution of lodgings in the palace, made arrangements for the king´s progresses, received the Ambassadors and other visitors to the court, and conducted them into the royal presence. | ||
| 2. The Household proper or domus providentiae which was the household below stairs & was under the supervision of the Lord Steward whose concern was the material and mundane necessities of the monarch and of his court such as food, drink, lighting and fuel. |
The King's Court| Lord Steward |
 Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk held a succession of offices in the Royal Household, including Master of the Horse, Lord President of the Council and Lord High Steward (not to be confused with Lord Steward).The office of Lord Steward was one of considerable political importance as it carried cabinet rank. The Lord Steward receives his appointment from the King in person, and bears a white staff as the emblem and warrant of his authority. He is the first dignitary of the court. In an act of King Henry VIII (1539) for placing of the lords, he is described as the grand master or lord steward of the king's most honourable household. The Lord Steward or his deputies administered the oaths to the members of the House of Commons. In certain cases (messages from the sovereign under the sign-manual) the lords with white staves are the proper persons to bear communications between the Sovereign and the Houses of Parliament. |
 The King's Chamber was also divided into 2 areas : |
| 1. The Privy Chamber was the most influential department in the royal household. It housed the king's "privy lodging", consisting of the bedroom, library, study, and of course, the toilet with a regular staff of its own, such as gentlemen, ushers, grooms, and pages. Also other specialized officers of the chamber were the monarch's secretary, chaplain, physician, surgeon, apothecary, barber, henchmen or young gentlemen in attendance under their master, and finally, the Esquires of the Household. |
| 2. The Outer Chamber (often styled presence chamber), and the great hall. |
 Gentlemen in the Privy Chamber |
| This title was an amalgamation of Esquires of the Household and the Knights of the Body. The Privy Chamber became a separate household department under the command of one of the two chief gentlemen who also assumed the title of the Groom of the Stool. The primary duty of the groom of the stole (or stool) was to see that "the house of easement be sweet and clear". He, however, emerged eventually as the manager of the privy chamber as well as the privy purse. The gentlemen were assisted by the grooms of the privy chamber who, under the supervision of the gentlemen ushers, attended to the cleanliness of the rooms. The Statutes of Eltham of 1526 provided for 6 gentlemen, 2 gentlemen ushers, 4 grooms, a barber, and a page, "whom the King's grace for their good behaviour and quallityes hath elected for that purpose" (14 people). As salary a gentleman received £50 a year, a gentleman usher £30, and a groom £20. Every esquire was entitled to 5 horses whereas every groom to 2 horses. |
| Grooms of the Stool/Stole |
| The title originally referred to the chamberpot (or stool) of the king. Later it came to represent the long robe of the Monarch (from the Latin stola, meaning garment). This especially prized title was awarded to sons of noblemen or important members of the gentry. As minions of the King & close court companions they would spend quality time with him and it allowed them unobstructed access to the King's attention. Among other administrative duties of the privy chamber, they had the task of cleaning the Monarch's rear. Henry's successor Edward VI abolished the title. |
 Sir William Compton |  Sir Henry Norris |
| The King's Secretary | The King's Physician |
| £50 a year | |
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 The Queen's Household paralleled the King's but smaller approximately 150 - 250 people |
| The queen had her own council, whose members, all male, performed such practical tasks as directing & supervising the care of her extensive properties. She had her own Lord Chancellor, her master of the horse, her secretary, her chaplain & a host of male servants, as well as needlewomen, chamberers and ladies. |
 Ladies-in-waiting were divided into 4 separate caste systems - great ladies, ladies of the privy chamber, maids of honour and chamberers. The ladies of the privy chamber were the ones who were closest to the queen, and most of the other women were the maids of honour. Female relatives were often appointed because they could be trusted confidantes to the queen. (Anne Boleyn had 60 ladies-in-waiting) |
 The Great Ladies functioned in infrequent, chiefly ceremonial roles, while the Ladies of the Privy Chamber were especially privileged in seeing to the queen's most intimate needs as she readied herself for bed and prepared for the intricate task of getting dressed in the morning. Maids of Honour were young unmarried women who attended the queen, learning the ways of court and there attracting the attention of the King's most eligible courtiers. Mothers among nobility fought long and hard to get their marriageable daughters positions as Maids of Honour. The last category, the Chamberers were the most humble of the queen's personal female servants. |
| Duties were to accompany the King & Queen in hunting, hawking parties & elaborate masquerades. They were expected to attend frequent jousts, contests that also served as military training for courtiers and to applaud the contestants. Indoors, they could be found playing cards, reading (mostly religious works), playing music & attending chapel. (Katherine of Aragon would spend hours each day praying & her ladies prayed as well). Sewing was almost an obsession among female members of court.The queen & her ladies could be found working on elaborate costumes for balls & masquerades, in times of war, making standards, badges & banners and at other times making clothing for the poor. However, it must be remembered that being a lady-in-waiting was a job just like any other. |
| "At a time when virtually every profession was exclusively a male preserve, the position of Lady-in-waiting to the queen was almost the only occupation that an upper class Englishwoman could with propriety pursue... Any lady at court with a position could feel she had a finger on the pulse of power, even if in most cases she could not determine the rate at which it beat" [source: Anne Somerset's "Ladies in Waiting"] |
| Women who performed their tasks in the queen's household successfully & possessed valuable social skills retained their positions during multiple reigns & served successive queens & royal children. -Anne Boleyn served Queen Katherine of Aragon & Queen Claude. -Jane Seymour served Queen Katherine of Aragon & Anne Boleyn. -Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford served, Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves & Katherine Howard. -Margery Horsman served Queen Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn & Jane Seymour. -Lady Margarey Bryan served Queen Katherine of Aragon & was governess to all 3 of Henry's children. -Katherine Howard served Anne of Cleves. |
| Ladies-in-waiting |
| |  Lady Jane Howard/Slaine Kelly fictional character possibly based on Jane Popyngcort, who attended Queen Katherine of Aragon | |
 |  | |
 based on Mary Shelton who attended Anne Boleyn |  |  almagation of a couple of ladies who attended Anne Boleyn |
 attended Queen Katherine of Aragon | fictional character attended Queen Katherine of Aragon |  Eleanor Luke/Andrea Lowe fictional character based on an "unknown lady" who attended |
 Lady Salisbury/Kate O'Toole A "great lady" who attended Princess Mary Tudor as governess |  Ursula Misseldon/ Charlotte Salt fictional character attended Jane Seymour | |
MsSquirrly |
Latest page update: made by MsSquirrly
, Aug 4 2009, 11:29 AM EDT
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Keyword tags:
ladies in waiting
The tudors
The Tudors Court
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| karenofbethany | Ladies and Gentlemen | 2 | Oct 20 2009, 10:37 AM EDT by Brooke9/7 | ||
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Thread started: Jan 19 2009, 8:11 PM EST
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Given your current age, personality, talents and interests,
1. Which queen would you be called on to serve as Lady in Waiting? 2. What position/specific job(s) would you be assigned? 3. What would you LIKE to do? 4. Which gentleman of the court would you be most interested in getting to know? 5. Which queen would you serve, if you had your choice? |
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| lady_lizbeth_sanson | If you had to chocie your place in the kings court where would you be? (page: 1 2 3) | 59 | May 14 2009, 8:36 PM EDT by gapeachjessica | ||
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Thread started: May 11 2009, 7:56 AM EDT
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If you had to chocie your place in the kings court where would you be?
What would u prefer to be. Personally i would have to choice a serving wench or a normal maid as i would less likely be drawn to the kings attention . |
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| JuliaLeigh711 | The Kings Court (page: 1 2) | 24 | May 11 2009, 11:43 AM EDT by CicaB | ||
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Thread started: May 7 2009, 1:40 AM EDT
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You always see the Kings Court with lots of people, eating, drinking, dancing, and fellowship. Was the King's court busy like that 7 nights a week. Or was it celebrated on the Kings request. It reminds me of the days of Studio Fifty Four when I lived in NYC.
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the King's court
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