138:(the management manual of the English Royal Household from the reign of Edward IV through to the reign of Henry VIII) states that the Esquire of the Body should be "attendant upon the king's person, to array and unray him, and to watch day and night" to be ready to help the King because "no man else to set hands on the king". It was considered a great honour to be granted the position and because of the intimate and frequent access it gave to the king, it could become a position of considerable influence. For example, while
90:
28:
282:'s reign (1460–70) to the thirty men who were Knights of the Body by the end of his reign, in 1483. According to Horrox, this was due to Edward "regrading" members of his household, with King's Knights increasingly being promoted to be Knights of the Body or Carvers. In Richard III's household (r. 1483–85), there were fifty Knights of the Body. According to Narasingha Prosad Sil, the Knights of the Body were merged with Esquires of the Household to form the office of
301:. They probably spent little time at court. Later court roles often rotated among several holders, who attended the monarch on a fixed timetable, for periods such as two months every year; there may have been similar arrangements here. The role was partly as a bodyguard, with many professional soldiers holding it. In wartime it probably often equated to the modern
278:
of "chamber knights" emerged as preeminent: "During the fifteenth century they came to be known as 'knights of the body', though both their numbers and duties remained similar". Over the course of the late fifteenth century, the number of
Knights of the Body grew from the ten who occupied the position in the first decade of
277:
has argued that the
Knights of the Body emerged in the mid-fourteenth century as part of a wider process by which the chamber (at the expense of the hall) became increasingly important in the organisation of the royal household. As such, the household knights declined in importance, while a new body
262:
of c. 1471–72 suggests that both
Knights and Esquires of the Body were respectively more superior than those who were King's Knights or King's Esquires (also known as Knights of the Household or Esquires of the Household), but in practice the latter titles were used inconsistently, or generically
62:
was a related position, apparently sometimes merely an "Esquire" who had been knighted, as many were. The distinction between the two roles is not entirely clear, and probably shifted over time. The positions also existed in some lesser courts, such as that of the
195:
Eventually the position in the
English royal household became more formal and did not necessarily involve dressing and undressing the monarch. The function clearly needed to change in the case of a female monarch, for example the poet and dramatist
164:
There were six such courtiers, with a barber and a page, to attend on the King in his bedchamber when he arose in the morning. They were responsible for dressing the King in his undergarments before he entered the
704:
A collection of ordinances and regulations for the government of the royal household, made in divers reigns: from King Edward III to King
William and Queen Mary, also receipts in ancient cookery
211:
The position of
Esquire of the Body also existed in some other courts, such as that of the Prince of Wales. For example, Sir Robert Fullhurst served as an Esquire of the Body to
180:
During the night the duty
Esquires of the Body had complete control of the King's household and combined in one office the functions which during the day were shared between the
263:
used to refer to any member of the household not a Knight or
Esquire of the Body who was nevertheless a Knight or Esquire. In 1454, the Knights of the Body were attended by a
192:
and the
Esquires of the Body. No night-time household business could be conducted and no dispatches could be delivered to the King without the permission of the duty Esquire.
246:
wrote that
Knights of the Body were Esquires of the Body who had been knighted and that sometimes one Knight of the Body could stand in for two Esquires of the Body.
254:
that Esquires of the Body who were knighted became Knights of the Body. In the mid-fourteenth century, Knights of the Body outranked Esquires of the Body; however,
663:— Includes a description of how Queen Elizabeth I arranged her household, including the position of Esquire of the Body, mentioning Rodger Manners as a case study.
173:. While the King ate two Esquires would sit at his feet while at least two served the food, and another served drink in a cup which had been handed to him by the
103:
There was an element of the bodyguard in the role, but it also might be awarded to companions the king liked, or to regional gentry to bind them to the king's "
71:
242:
In addition to Esquires of the Body, there were also Knights of the Body in late medieval English royal households. The eighteenth-century antiquarian
177:, and others presented the ewer and basin. At other times the Esquires would be on hand to help the King with menial tasks such as carrying his cloak.
79:
31:
212:
34:, former Knight of the Body and general, admiral and politician, eventually executed for trying to place his daughter-in-law on the throne
247:
657:
628:
606:
584:
562:
93:
83:
75:
70:
The roles could be an important step up in the career of a courtier, politician or soldier. Ex-holders included such figures as
667:
Boswell, James, ed. (1821), "Manuscript in the Herald's Office, M.7, entitled 'The Services of Divers Officers of the Court'",
283:
170:
726:
231:
258:
points out that "their social background was very similar and promotion from one to the other was not uncommon". The
243:
189:
47:
553:, Cambridge Studies in Renaissance Literature and Culture, vol. 18, Cambridge University Press, pp.
226:
in 1660 four Esquires of the Body were appointed. This number was reduced to two on the accession of King
201:
181:
97:
268:
223:
146:
472:
702:
294:
279:
89:
227:
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104:
55:
420:
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112:
435:
653:
624:
602:
598:
580:
558:
554:
672:
649:
620:
576:
185:
108:
51:
27:
255:
205:
131:
64:
617:
The Scandal of Images: Iconoclasm, Eroticism, and Painting in Early Modern English Drama
230:
in 1685. The position was eliminated in the English royal household on the accession of
678:
525:
208:
performed the intimate tasks for the Queen which the Esquires had done for her father.
158:
720:
306:
166:
139:
302:
174:
17:
421:
Curalia: Or, An Historical Account of Some Branches of the Royal Household: Part 1
690:
551:
Courtly Letters in the Age of Henry VIII: Literary Culture and the Arts of Deceit
436:
History of Parliament: Biographies of the Members of the Commons House, 1439–1509
289:
By the late period, the title was often given to men who were important regional
573:
The Medieval Gentry: Power, Leadership and Choice During the Wars of the Roses
485:
Chris Given-Wilson, "The king and the gentry in fourteenth-century England",
197:
200:
was appointed an honorary Esquire of the Body in the late 1580s to Queen
43:
298:
154:
597:(illustrated, reprint ed.), Courier Dover Publications, pp.
532:
290:
264:
150:
161:), of which at least two would always be in attendance on the King.
88:
26:
709:— This contains a collection of primary sources, including the
473:
The History Of The King's Body Guard Of The Yeomen Of The Guard
619:(illustrated ed.), Susquehanna University Press, p.
349:
347:
345:
343:
366:
364:
362:
204:
in recognition of his services to her as an entertainer.
107:" of retainers. To some extent it equated to the French
697:— Latin text of Black Book of the Exchequer of Henry II.
646:
Leicester and the Court: Essays on Elizabethan Politics
142:
did dress Henry VIII and certainly had the King's ear.
511:(Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2001), p. 31.
130:, became a formal position and title in the English
509:
Tudor Placemen and Statesmen: Select Case Histories
439:(Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1936), p. xxx.
476:(Archibald Constable & Co., 1904), p. 304.
8:
685:written in the reigns of Henry VII and VIII.
487:Transactions of the Royal Historical Society
72:William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton
452:(Cambridge University Press, 1989), p. 249.
669:The plays and poems of William Shakespeare
267:; the figure had been two in the reign of
701:Society of Antiquaries of London (1790),
325:Also mentioned in some other sources as
648:, Manchester University Press, p.
406:
339:
318:
124:Esquires in Ordinary of the King's Body
80:John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
32:John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
394:
353:
153:(who were entitled to the help of two
681:describing the role of the office of
382:
370:
7:
149:, the position holders were usually
96:, who died in battle with his king,
537:, Loyola University, pp. 26–27
252:History of Parliament ... 1439–1509
169:to finish dressing attended by the
671:, R. C. and J. Rivington, p.
433:Josiah Wedgwood and Anne D. Holt,
250:and Anne Holt also state in their
25:
526:"The Public Rooms: Privy Chamber"
293:, and already held roles such as
707:, London: Society of Antiquaries
94:John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk
84:John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk
76:William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys
450:Richard III: A Study of Service
284:Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber
171:Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber
1:
615:Tassi, Marguerite A. (2005),
42:was a personal attendant and
689:Hearne, Thomas, ed. (1771),
692:Liber niger Scaccarii, etc.
524:Bucholz, Robert O. (2005),
489:, vol. 37 (1987), pp. 90–91
224:Restoration of the Monarchy
743:
534:Database of Court Officers
424:(J. Nichols, 1782), p. 14.
595:Tudor Costume and Fashion
593:Norris, Herbert (1997),
571:Mercer, Malcolm (2010),
507:Narasingha Prosad Sil,
299:Sheriff of their county
213:Edward, Prince of Wales
126:, often abbreviated to
470:Sir Reginald Hennell,
182:Lord Great Chamberlain
100:
35:
695:, W. et J. Richardson
644:Adams, Simon (2002),
575:, Continuum, p.
111:and similar roles in
92:
30:
727:Esquires of the Body
549:Lerer, Seth (2006),
498:Horrox, pp. 227–228.
461:Horrox, pp. 228–229.
331:Esquire for the Body
295:Justice of the Peace
128:Esquires of the Body
683:Esquire of the Body
373:, pp. 107–108.
356:, pp. 164–165.
327:Esquire to the Body
238:Knights of the Body
222:At the time of the
56:early modern period
40:Esquire of the Body
18:Esquire of the body
275:Chris Given-Wilson
113:Continental Europe
101:
60:Knight of the Body
36:
448:Rosemary Horrox,
206:Ladies-in-waiting
16:(Redirected from
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190:Gentleman Ushers
186:Vice-Chamberlain
109:valet de chambre
52:Late Middle Ages
48:Kings of England
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256:Rosemary Horrox
248:Josiah Wedgwood
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145:By the time of
132:royal household
121:
65:Prince of Wales
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
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738:
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679:primary source
675:–37 footnote 3
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418:Samuel Pegge,
411:
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314:
311:
239:
236:
215:, son of King
120:
117:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
739:
728:
725:
724:
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713:of Edward IV.
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706:
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659:9780719053252
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630:9781575910857
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608:9780486141510
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586:9781441190642
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564:9780521035279
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412:
409:, p. 26.
408:
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397:, p. 69.
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385:, p. 96.
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167:privy chamber
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140:George Boleyn
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703:
691:
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572:
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539:, retrieved
533:
508:
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457:
449:
444:
434:
429:
419:
414:
407:Bucholz 2005
402:
390:
378:
330:
326:
321:
303:aide-de-camp
288:
273:
259:
251:
244:Samuel Pegge
241:
221:
210:
194:
179:
175:Chief Butler
163:
144:
135:
127:
123:
122:
102:
69:
59:
39:
37:
711:Liber Nigra
541:November 1,
395:Mercer 2010
354:Norris 1997
202:Elizabeth I
136:Liber Niger
98:Richard III
50:during the
518:References
383:Tassi 2005
371:Lerer 2006
269:Edward III
260:Black Book
232:Queen Anne
147:Henry VIII
286:in 1518.
280:Edward IV
234:in 1702.
198:John Lyly
721:Category
228:James II
217:Henry VI
159:page boy
155:esquires
105:affinity
54:and the
44:courtier
151:knights
119:History
58:. The
46:to the
656:
627:
605:
601:–165,
583:
561:
557:–108,
291:gentry
265:yeoman
184:, the
157:and a
134:. The
82:, and
529:(PDF)
329:and
313:Notes
677:— A
654:ISBN
625:ISBN
603:ISBN
581:ISBN
559:ISBN
543:2013
599:164
555:107
305:or
297:or
86:.
38:An
723::
673:34
652:,
650:28
623:,
621:96
579:,
577:69
531:,
361:^
342:^
309:.
271:.
219:.
188:,
115:.
78:,
74:,
67:.
20:)
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