Book contents
- Ladies-in-Waiting in Medieval England
- Ladies-in-Waiting in Medieval England
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The People of the Household
- Chapter 1 The Household: Size, Gender, and Recruitment
- Chapter 2 Marriage and Courtier Families
- Part II Rhythms of Life
- Part III Power and Its Rewards
- Conclusion: Power, Authority, Influence, and Service
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 2 - Marriage and Courtier Families
from Part I - The People of the Household
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2025
- Ladies-in-Waiting in Medieval England
- Ladies-in-Waiting in Medieval England
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The People of the Household
- Chapter 1 The Household: Size, Gender, and Recruitment
- Chapter 2 Marriage and Courtier Families
- Part II Rhythms of Life
- Part III Power and Its Rewards
- Conclusion: Power, Authority, Influence, and Service
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 2 analyzes kinship both between employer and servant and between the female attendant and her other family members in service. Ladies-in-waiting usually owed their positions at court and in great households to connections within their kin group, sometimes through active negotiations and promotions that appear in surviving records, but mostly through maneuverings that occurred behind the scenes. The surviving documents allow me to argue that courtier families used kinship ties to build networks of influence. In return, employers gained new servants from connections already known and trusted. Marriages within the household were well rewarded and female attendants often took advantage of opportunities to wed fellow servants and promote their children, siblings, cousins, and even grandchildren into similar employment. This chapter also asserts that the familial networks of ladies-in-waiting paralleled the dynastic networks that made for effective monarchy. Although only one royal body, usually male, ruled the kingdom, a king could not rule successfully in isolation; rather monarchs employed consorts, siblings, and other kin to govern and enhance royal prestige. Similarly, courtier families worked together to promote members of their kin group and parlay influence into rewards.
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- Ladies-in-Waiting in Medieval England , pp. 81 - 116Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025