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Neither Greek nor Latin had a word corresponding to modern-day "family". The Latin familia must be translated to "household" rather than "family". [1] The aristocratic household of ancient Rome was similar to that of medieval Europe, in that it consisted – in addition to the paterfamilias, his wife and children – of a number of clients , or dependents of the lord who would attend upon him ...
Medieval pages might accompany their lords to war. While their roles in battle were generally limited to secondary assistance and minor support functions, pages might expect to participate directly in siege situations. This could occur when a castle was under attack and crossbows were available for use by pages among the defenders. The ...
The servants were organized into a hierarchy which was arranged in ranks according to the level of responsibility. [1] The highest rank, which reported directly to the Chief Officer and oversaw an individual Household Office, was the Sergeant. [3] The word was introduced to England by the Normans, and meant an attendant or servant. [10]
The word seneschal (/ ˈ s ɛ n ə ʃ əl /) can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context.Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ducal, or noble household during the Middle Ages and early Modern period – historically a steward or majordomo of a medieval ...
A 17th-century valet de chambre. A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet" by itself most often refers to a normal servant responsible for the clothes and personal belongings of an employer ...
Dish-bearer in Medieval Latin (ML) is discifer or dapifer, and in Old English (OE) discþegn, also discðegn and discþen (dish-thegn). [1] The French medievalist Alban Gautier states: "Both discifer and dapifer literally mean ' dish-bearer ' , but in the first case ' dish ' should be understood as the disc-shaped object ( discus ), whereas in ...
Medieval serfdom really began with the breakup of the Carolingian Empire around the 10th century. [citation needed] During this period, powerful feudal lords encouraged the establishment of serfdom as a source of agricultural labour. Serfdom, indeed, was an institution that reflected a fairly common practice whereby great landlords were assured ...
19th-century depiction of servants in the Ottoman Imperial Harem: the Chief Black Eunuch (left), a court dwarf (middle) and the Chief White Eunuch (right). Several dwarfs to have had their histories recorded were employed as court dwarfs. They were owned and traded amongst people of the court, and delivered as gifts to fellow kings and queens. [1]