How in medieval Europe the rules of etiquette turned into a real curiosity

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It is known that in the early Middle Ages, monarchs and their entourage did not greatly complicate their lives with graceful manners and the implementation of many rules. However, along with the crusaders returning from the eastern countries and Byzantium, the fashion for court ceremonies gradually penetrated and flourished in Europe, the complex of which began to be called etiquette.

Beginning in the 15th century, the ceremonial of the royal courts became so complicated that even a special position of the master of ceremonies was required - a person who monitors the fulfillment of all complex requirements of behavior and knows all these rules. Numerous etiquette manuals helped not to forget them. Sometimes the rules reached the point of absurdity. For example, in the 16th century, François de Vieville, the future Marshal of France, was invited to dinner with the English king Edward VI. In his memoirs, de Vieville described what he saw:

About a hundred years later, this custom still persisted. King Charles II of England decided to show off to the French guest - Antoine de Gramont, Comte de Guiche, attended the gala dinner. - asked the monarch, to which the witty Frenchman replied:

The ceremonial of the Spanish court was especially distinguished by the strict and not always justified rules. Particular attention in it was given to the inviolability of female honor, and care for the royal persons reached the point of absurdity. The Spanish queen could not be touched by any man except the king. Even an accidental touch of the hand was punishable by death. One historical fact is known, which is an excellent illustration of the "excesses" that reigned then. At the end of the 17th century, Queen Marie-Louise, wife of Charles II, was on horseback, but the horse suddenly carried away. The unfortunate woman was on the verge of death, as she fell out of the saddle, and her legs were entangled in the stirrups. Two young officers saved their queen - they stopped the horse and helped her to get out, but then, without waiting for the royal gratitude, they hastily left the royal court and hid abroad, because they were to be executed for touching the queen.

By the way, in a similar situation, due to the same rules of etiquette, in 1880, in front of a large retinue, the young wife of King of Siam, Sunand Kumarirattan, died. She rode on the lake with her newborn daughter, but accidentally the boat capsized, and the queen and the child were in the water. Numerous witnesses could not help them, since centuries-old etiquette did not allow touching royal persons. After this incident, King Rama V abolished the old rule.

The most famous of such historical anecdotes (however, it is more often called a myth) concerns the Spanish king Philip III, who either nearly died of burns or suffocated while sitting by the fireplace while the courtiers ran after one of the grandees who had the right to touch to the king and move his chair. The son of this monarch, Philip IV, was also very strict in the implementation of the rules of etiquette. They said that he smiled no more than three times in his life and demanded the same from his loved ones. The French envoy Berto wrote:

By the way, returning to the issue of female honor, I would like to mention that marital duties in royal families were also strictly regulated. But the king was the only man who, after sunset, could remain in the female half of the palace. All other representatives of the stronger sex were removed from there, probably also on pain of death.

Another European monarch, who was remembered by descendants as a champion of strict etiquette, was the famous Sun King Louis XIV. He distinguished himself by the fact that he carefully described the duties for several hundred close associates: who exactly brings slippers in the morning, and who - a bathrobe. If today we are complaining about a bloated governing apparatus, then the number of courtiers and servants in the royal palace in 17th century France could simply shock us: there were only 96 nobles who managed the kitchen, and the entire staff of the "catering department" numbered about 400 people! However, other rulers also did not lag behind. In England, for example, almost until the 19th century, there was a special and very honorable position "royal opener of ocean bottles with letters." And all ordinary mortals who opened the bottles found on the shore were considered criminals, and, as usual, they were threatened with the death penalty, so as not to get involved in other people's official duties.

It seems to us that today the rules of etiquette are not so strict, and even under the royal courts freedom and tolerance reign. However, this is not entirely true, and the ceremonial itself has not yet completely outlived itself. So, for example, an interesting case happened with Bulat Okudzhava during his trip to Sweden. He suddenly saw the queen herself drive down the street. The poet looked at her with wide eyes, and the ruler also looked back twice! Surprised by such a simple and informal atmosphere, which apparently reigned at the local court, Okudzhava wrote a letter of thanks to the Swedish queen. She replied: It remains to be glad that our great compatriot at least was not executed for gross violation of etiquette.

It's fair to say that everybody breaks etiquette from time to time - even the English queen violated the rules of etiquette for the sake of a Soviet officer.