Reference books for medieval courts?

[DDK]

By this I mean the courts of the nobility. I know they were important and it was where diplomats, nobles (foriegn and local, minor and major), ladies and kings discussed the politics of the day or just... debauched

But I'd like to read a definitive book on the subject. Whether one with an RPG focus or not, d20 or not, historical or not, doesn't matter too much. Basically I'd like to know the exact function of the court, the etiquette, who was invited, who attended and how often, how one could go, what was done there, etc.

Any suggestions?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

An excellent gaming source is Chaosim's Pendragon game. If you can get it and have ~US$50, pick up Pendragon and Lordly Domains. You will never have traditional Euro-esque nobility questions again.

 

[Ron]

For the best RPG treatment of medieval nobility lifestyle, including chivalry, titles, courtly love, etc, you should go with Chivalry & Sorcery.

 

[drquestion]

For a non-RPG treatment, you might want to try Life in a Medieval Castle by Frances and Joseph Gies. You should be able to get it online for about $10-15. I haven't read it, but the Gies are well-known for condensing scholarly accounts of medieval topics into books that are more accessible for readers who aren't historians.

 

[Kilmore]

A couple of books by rennaissance courtiers may be useful. Balthasar Castiglione's The Courtier and Macchiavelli's The Prince will probably be useful.

 

[Samothdm]

There's also Ordo Nobilis for the "Ars Magica" game. Information is here at Atlas Games.

Much of the book is a summary of the nobility in medieval Europe and so the game mechanics don't really get in the way. I don't play Ars Magica but picked this up for us in my d20 game.

 

[Tyrrell]

Let me put in a second recomendation for Ordo Noblis. It is a very good book.

I've read life in a medieval castle as well and although it is also a useful book it would 1) be much harder to canabalize for RPG use and 2) not support my favorate game in the world (Ars Magica).

 

[jester47]

Living in the Tenth Century ISBN0226246213

For the best historical run down of this I would suggest:

If you want dress and mores and how they determined where someone sat in relation to the king the most definative I know of is Living in the Tenth Century by Heinrich Fichtenau translated by Patrick Geary. (I mention him because his work is priceless when researching the middle ages, you will see him in almost every bibliography.) What he essentially talks about is the courts and what was expected in polite (and impolite) society at that time (900-1000AD) Glancing at the table of contents you get headings for:

Ranking of cities and churches
Seating arrangements at religious assemblies
Ranking in the Secular Sphere
Customs and Symbols
Custom and tradition
Specific Gestures:Favor and Disgrace
A whole chapter called Rrepresentation as evidence of Status covers:
Reception
Hommage and Obligatory Processions
Retinues
Banquets
Table Manners
Secular marks of Status (clothes jewelry weapons, horses)
Ecclesiastical Marks of Status

Other Chapters:
Family and Clan
Patriarchal Lordship
The Familial Model
The Noble

The King: Includes:
Kingship and Nobility
Sacred Kingship
Administering the Kingdom
The Emperor
Qualities of the ruler
The King at War
Advisers
The Queen

More Chapters:
The Bishop
Worldly Clerics
Hermits and Reformers
Monastic Life
Education and School in the Monastery
Popular Beliefs
Peasant Existance
Stratification and Mobility (getting above the station of your birth)
Disorder and public Coercion
Lies and Deceit
Illegitimate Power (from robbers to war to repression)

This book is a great source even all the way into the 14th century because after 1000 things really did not change all that much as social matters were concerned.

Other references you might be interested in:

Queens, Concubines and Dowagers by Pauline Stafford covers the women near the king and might help as women did pretty much run the household and therefor did have a controling interest in how the court operated. Another to look into in this vein is Medieval Queenship by Parsons Carmi John

Depending on period, you might want to examine the court of Elizabeth I. Her court is probably the most documented for her era mainly because it was so very renaisance in nature and very popular. I would hevily suggest doing research on her court for ideas.

For a more traditional view there are two series that rock when it comes to Monarchs and that is

The Oxford English History (this is divided by period, so you have the 13th century as one book for example)

And Probably the most intense works on english monarchs is The Yale English Monarchs series (there is one for each monarch I think.)

All of this reading is pretty academicly intense. But reading just a few will give you a good idea of what was expected at court. I would recommend reading Living in the Tenth Century. And maybe reading Queens Concubines and Dowagers and lightly looking over the Monarch and History serials.

If you read one book on this I would say Living in the Tenth Century.

Also, a more laypersons view is best set out in Chriton's Timeline. But the detail is scant, and it deals more with life in general and time travel theories. However the Bibliography in this book is to die for.

If you combine all the bibliographies from "Living" "Timeline" and the Yale and Oxford Serials, you will have what is probably the best listing of books on the medieval ages ever.

Hope this helps...
Happy reading!

Aaron.

 

[jester47]

The Courtier and the Price are priceless first person accounts.

Stuff by the Gies tends to get into an oversimplification, but then again I am a Medieval Historian. Thier biggest and best work (the one they are most respected for) is Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel. But they are respectable and if you are not looking for real detail, check out life in a medieval castle.

Aaron.

 

[Patrick-S&S]

For the best RPG treatment of medieval nobility lifestyle, including chivalry, titles, courtly love, etc, you should go with Chivalry & Sorcery.

The second best IMO...

Try out Hârn and if that does not work, try to get a copy of The Medieval Handbook for Ars Magica 3rd edition, or Ordo Nobililis for Ars Magica 4th edition. That should do the trick.