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Alady-in-waiting (alternatively writtenlady in waiting) orcourt lady is a femalepersonal assistant at acourt, attending on a royal woman or a high-rankingnoblewoman.[1] Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom she attended. Although she may either have received aretainer or may not have received compensation for the service she rendered, a lady-in-waiting was considered more of asecretary,courtier, orcompanion to hermistress than aservant.
In some other parts of the world, the lady-in-waiting, often referred to aspalace woman, was in practice a servant or a slave rather than a high-ranking woman, but still had about the same tasks, functioning as companion and secretary to her mistress. In courts wherepolygamy was practiced, a court lady might have been formally available to the monarch for sexual services, and she could become hiswife,consort,courtesan, orconcubine.
Lady-in-waiting orcourt lady is often a generic term for women whose relative rank, title, and official functions varied, although such distinctions were also often honorary. A royal woman may or may not be free to select her ladies, and, even when she has such freedom, her choices are usually heavily influenced by the sovereign, her parents, her husband, or the sovereign's ministers (for example, in theBedchamber crisis).
In Europe, the development of the office of lady-in-waiting is connected to that of the development of a royal court. During theCarolingian Empire, in the 9th century,Hincmar describes the royal household ofCharles the Bald in theDe Ordine Palatii, from 882, in which he states that court officials took orders from the queen as well as the king.Merovingian queens are assumed to have had their personal servants, and in the 9th century it is confirmed that Carolingian queens had an entourage of guards from thenobility as a sign of their dignity, and some officials are stated to belong to the queen rather than the king.[2]
In the late 12th century, the queens of France are confirmed to have had their own household, and noblewomen are mentioned as ladies-in-waiting.[2] During the Middle Ages, however, the household of a European queen consort was normally small, and the number of actually employed ladies-in-waiting, rather than wives of noblemen accompanying their husbands to court, was very small: in 1286, the queen of France had only five ladies-in-waiting in her employment, and it was not until 1316 that her household was separated from that of the royal children.[2]
The role of ladies-in-waiting in Europe changed dramatically during the age of theRenaissance, when a new ceremonial court life, where women played a significant part, developed as representation of power in the courts ofItaly, and spread toBurgundy, from Burgundy to France, and to the rest of the courts of Europe.[2] The court of theDuchy of Burgundy was the most elaborate in Europe in the 15th century and became an example for France when the French royal court expanded in the late 15th century and introduced new offices for both men and women to be able to answer to the new renaissance ideal.[2]
From small circle of marriedFemmes and unmarriedFilles, with a relatively humble place in the background during the Middle Ages, the number of French ladies-in-waiting were rapidly expanded, divided into an advanced hierarchy with several offices and given an important and public role to play in the new ceremonial court life in early 16th century France.[2] This example was followed by other courts in Europe, when courts expanded and became more ceremonial during the 16th century, and the offices, numbers and visibility of women expanded in the early modern age.[2]
During the late 19th century and the early 20th century, however, most European courts started to reduce their court staff, often due to new economic and political circumstances which made court representation more questionable.
The duties of ladies-in-waiting varied from court to court, but functions historically discharged by ladies-in-waiting included proficiency in theetiquette, languages, dances, horse riding, music making, and painting prevalent at court; keeping her mistress abreast of activities and personages at court; care of the rooms andwardrobe of her mistress;secretarial tasks; supervision of servants,budget andpurchases; reading correspondence to her mistress and writing on her behalf; and discreetly relaying messages upon command.[1]
In the late Middle Ages, when the court of the emperor no longer moved around constantly, the household of the empress, as well as the equivalent household of the German princely consorts, started to develop a less-fluid and more-strict organisation with set court offices.
The court model of the Duchy of Burgundy, as well as the Spanish court model, came to influence the organisation of the Austrian imperial court during the 16th century, when theBurgundian Netherlands, Spain and Austria were united through theHouse of Habsburg.[3][page needed] In the early and mid-16th century, the female courtiers kept by female Habsburgs in the Netherlands and Austria was composed of oneHofmesterees (Court Mistress) orDame d'honneur who served as the principal lady-in-waiting; oneHofdame orMere de Filles, who was second in rank and deputy of theHofmesterees, as well as being in charge of theEredames (Maids of Honour), also known asDemoiselle d'honneur,Fille d'honneur orJunckfrauen depending on language (Dutch,French andAustrian German respectively), and finally theKamenisters (Chamber Maids).[4][page needed] However, during the tenure ofMaria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress in the mid-16th century, the court of the empress was organised in accordance with the Spanish court model, and after she left Austria, there was no further household of an empress until the 1610s.[5][page needed] This resulted in a mix of Burgundian and Spanish customs when the Austrian court model was created.
In 1619, a set organisation was finally established for the Austrian imperial court, which came to be the characteristic organisation of the Austrian-Habsburg court roughly kept from this point onward.[5] The first rank of the female courtiers was theObersthofmeisterin (Mistress of the Robes), who was second in rank after the empress herself, and responsible for all the female courtiers.[5] Second rank belonged to theAyas, essentially governesses of the imperial children and heads of the children's court.[5] Third in rank was theFräuleinhofmeisterin, who was the replacement of theObersthofmeisterin when necessary, but otherwise had the responsibility of the unmarried female courtiers, their conduct and service.[5] The rest of the female noble courtiers consisted of theHoffräulein (Maid of Honour), unmarried women from the nobility who normally served temporarily until marriage.[5] TheHoffräulein could sometimes be promoted toKammerfräulein (Maid of Honour of the Chamber).[5] The Austrian court model was the role model for the princely courts in Germany.[5] The German court model in turn became the role model of the early modern Scandinavian courts of Denmark and Sweden.[6][page needed]
The Kingdom of Belgium was founded in 1830, after which a royal court was founded, and ladies-in-waiting were appointed forLouise of Orléans when she became the first queen of Belgium in 1832. The female officeholders of the queen's household were created after the French model and composed of oneDame d'honneur, followed by several ladies-in-waiting with the titleDame du Palais, in turn ranking above thePremière femme de chambre and theFemme de chambre.[7]
The ladies-in-waiting have historically been chosen by the queen herself from the noblewomen of the CatholicNoble Houses of Belgium. The chief functions at court were undertaken by members of the higher nobility, involving much contact with the royal ladies. Belgian princesses were assigned a lady upon their 18th birthdays.Princess Clementine was given aDame by her father, a symbolic acknowledgement of adulthood. When the queen entertains, the ladies welcome guests and assist the hostess in sustaining conversation.
In Cambodia, the termladies-in-waiting refers to high-ranking female servants who served food and drink, fanned and massaged, and sometimes provided sexual services to the king. Conventionally, these women could work their way up frommaids to ladies-in-waiting,concubines, or evenqueen.Srey Snom (Khmer:ស្រីស្នំ) is the Cambodian term for the Khmer lady-in-waiting.
The six favorite court ladies ofKing Sisowath of Cambodia were probably initially drawn from the ranks of classical royal dancers of the lower class. He was noted for having the most classical dancers as concubines. The imperial celestial dancer,Apsara, was one of these. This practice of drawing from the ranks of royal dancers began in the Golden Age of the Khmer Kingdom.
Several Canadian ladies-in-waiting have also been appointed to theRoyal Household of Canada. Canadian ladies-in-waiting are typically appointed in order to assist themonarch of Canada when carrying out official duties in Canada androyal tours in the country. Five Canadian ladies-in-waiting were made Lieutenants of theRoyal Victorian Order.[8]
The ladies-in-waiting in China, referred to aspalace women,palace ladies orcourt ladies, were all formally, if not always in practice, a part ofthe emperor's harem, regardless of their task, and could be promoted by him to the rank of official concubine, consort, or even empress.[9][page needed]
The emperors of theHan dynasty (202 BC–220 AD) are reported to have had a harem of thousands of 'palace women', although the actual numbers are unconfirmed.[9]
At least during theSong dynasty (960–1279), palace women were divided in three groups: imperial women (consisting of concubines and consorts), imperial daughters (consisting of daughters and sisters of the emperor), and the female officials and assistants, who performed a wide range of tasks and could potentially be promoted to the rank of concubine or consort.[10]
Women from official elite families could be chosen to become empress, consort or concubine immediately upon their entrance in the palace, but the emperor could also promote any female court official to that post, as they were officially all members of his harem.[10]
The female court officials and attendants were normally selected from trusted families and then educated for their task.[10]
During theMing dynasty (1368–1644), palace women were sorted into roughly the same three categories as in the Song dynasty.[11] However, female officials and assistants in the Ming dynasty were organized into six established government groups, called the Six Bureaus: the Bureau of General Affairs, Bureau of Handicrafts, Bureau of Ceremonies, Bureau of Apartments, Bureau of Apparel, and Bureau of Foodstuffs.[12] These groups were all overseen by the Office of Staff Surveillance, headed by a female official.[13]
Women workers in the imperial palace were distinguished as either permanent or temporary staff.[14] Permanent palace staff included educated and literate female officials serving in the Six Bureaus, andwet nurses caring for imperial heirs or other palace children.[14] These women received great wealth and social acclaim if their jobs were performed well.[15] Seasonal or temporary palace women included midwives, female physicians, and indentured contractors (these were usually women serving as maids to consorts, entertainers, sewing tutors, or sedan-chair bearers).[16] These women were recruited into the palace when necessary and then released following the termination of their predetermined period of service.[17]
Throughout the Ming dynasty, there was frequent movement between the palace service industry and the low levels of the Imperial Harem.[18] Although emperors frequently selected minor consorts from Imperial serving women, few selected women ever reached the higher ranks of the consort structure or gained significant prominence.[19]
As the Ming dynasty progressed, living and working conditions for palace women began to deteriorate.[20] Lower-ranked serving women working in the Imperial palace were often underpaid and unable to buy food, leaving them to support themselves by selling embroidery at the market outside the palace viaeunuchs.[21] Overall, living conditions and punishments for misbehaving eventually grew so bad that there wasan assassination attempt against theJiajing Emperor by a group of serving women.[22] Led by palace maid Yang Jinying in 1542, the failed assassination attempt involved several maids sneaking into the emperor's bedchamber as he slept, to strangle him with a curtain cord.[23] The attempt ultimately failed, and all the women involved were put to death, although this type of violent revolt by serving women had never been seen before in the Ming dynasty.[23]
Due to slanderous literary propaganda written and spread by male officials and Confucian authors, higher-class female officials also saw their power begin to weaken throughout the Ming dynasty.[24] These prominent government men began to disparage having educated women in government and state roles in response to the influence Imperial women had held over the nation in the past.[25] This prompted a gradual overtaking of female official roles by palace eunuchs that continued throughout the remainder of the dynasty.[26]
The system of palace women continued mostly unchanged during theQing dynasty (1644–1912), when a class of imperial women acting as consorts or concubines, who had not previously held other roles, existed. However, female court attendants were also all available for promotion to concubinage or the position of consort by the emperor.[27][page needed] During the Qing dynasty, imperial women were selected from among the teenage daughters of the Manchu official banner families, who were drafted to an inspection before they could marry.[27] Similarly,palace maids were drafted from lower official and banner classes before they could marry.[28][page needed] After their selection, palace maids were educated as personal attendants to consorts, female officials within court rituals or other tasks, and were also available for the emperor to promote to consort or concubine.[28] Below the palace maids were the maidservants, who were selected the same way by a draft among the daughters of soldiers.[28]
The early modern Danish court was organized according to the German court model, in turn inspired by the Austrian imperial court model, from the 16th century onward.[6] The highest rank female courtier to a female royal was theHofmesterinde (Court Mistress) or, from 1694/98 onward,Overhofmesterinde (Chief Court Mistress), equivalent to the Mistress of the Robes, normally an elder widow, who supervised the rest of the ladies-in-waiting.[29][page needed] The rest of the female courtiers were mainlyKammerfrøken (Senior Maid of Honour), followed by a group ofHofdame (Court Lady) and theHoffrøken (Maid of Honour).[29] They were followed by the non-noble female court employees not ranking as ladies-in-waiting, such as the chambermaids.
This hierarchy was roughly in place from the 16th century until the death ofKing Christian IX of Denmark in 1906.[29] During the 20th century, most of these titles came of use, and all ladies-in-waiting at the royal Danish court are now referred to asHofdame (Court Lady).
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The queen of France is confirmed to have had a separate household in the late 12th century, and an ordinance from 1286 notes thatJoan I of Navarre, Queen of France, had a group of five ladies (Dames) and maids-in-waiting (Damoiselles). In the 1480s, the French ladies-in-waiting were divided intoFemmes Mariées (married ladies-in-waiting) andFilles d'honneur (Maids of Honour).[2] However, the queen's household and the number of female courtiers during the Middle Ages was very small in France, as in most European courts.
It was not until the end of the 15th century and early 16th century that emulation of the new courts of the ItalianRenaissance made ladies-in-waiting fashionable in official court ceremonies and representation, and female court offices became more developed and numerous in the French court as well as in other European courts.[2] The introduction of ladies-in-waiting increased in great numbers at the French court at this time: from a mere five in 1286 and still only 23 in 1490, to 39 in 1498 and roughly 54 during the 16th century.[2] This expansion of female presence at court has been attributed to bothAnne of Brittany, who encouraged all male courtiers to send their daughters to her, and toFrancis I of France, who was criticized for bringing to court "the constant presence" of large crowds of women, who gossiped and interfered in state affairs. Francis I once said: "a court without ladies is a court without a court".[2]
During theFirst Empire, the principal lady-in-waiting of the empress was theDame d'honneur, followed by between 20 and 36Dames du Palais.[30][page needed] During theBourbon Restoration,Marie Thérèse of France restored the pre-revolutionary court hierarchy.[31][page needed] During theSecond Empire, the female courtiers of the empress were composed of the first rank,Grand Maitresse, and the second rank,Dame d'honneur, followed by six (later twelve)Dames du Palais.[32][page needed]
The early modern princely courts in Germany were modeled after the Austrian imperial court model.[5] This court model divided the ladies-in-waiting in a chief lady-in-waiting namedOberhofmeisterin (a widowed or married elder woman) who supervised theHoffräulein (Maids of Honour), of which one or two could be promoted to the middle rank ofKammerfräulein (Maid of Honour of the Chamber).[5] The German princely courts in turn became the role model of the Scandinavian courts of Denmark and Sweden in the 16th century.[6]
After the end of the GermanHoly Roman Empire in 1806, and the establishment of several minor kingdoms in Germany, the post ofStaatsdame (married ladies-in-waiting) were introduced in many German princely and royal courts. At the imperial German court, the ladies-in-waiting were composed of oneOberhofmeisterin in charge of severalHofstaatsdamen orPalastdamen.[33][page needed]
During theByzantine Empire, the Byzantine empress was attended by a female court (theSekreton Tōn Gynaikōn), which consisted mostly of the wives of high-ranking male court officials, who simply used the feminine versions of their husbands' titles. The only specifically female dignity was that of theZoste patrikia, the chief lady-in-waiting and female attendant of the empress, who was the head of the women's court and often a relative of the empress; this title existed at least since the 9th century.
TheKingdom of Greece was established in 1832 and its first queen,Amalia of Oldenburg, organized the ladies-in-waiting of its first royal court with one 'Grande Maitresse', followed by the second rank'Dame d'honneur', and the third rank'Dame de Palais'.[34][page needed]
Note that the two kingdoms have completely different rules regarding ladies in waiting.
Prior to the unification, the greatest of the Italian states was the Kingdom of Naples, later calledKingdom of the Two Sicilies. In 1842, the ladies-in-waiting of the queen of the Two Sicilies were composed of oneDama di Onore (Lady of Honor, ranked just below theCavaliere di Onore), threeDama di Compagnia (Lady Companions, ranked below theCavalerizzo), and a large number ofDame di Corte (Court Ladies).[35]
In 1861, the Italian Peninsula was united in to theKingdom of Italy. The ladies-in-waiting of the queen of Italy were headed by theDama d'Onore, followed by theDame di Corte, and finally theDame di Palazzo.[36] TheDama d'Onore was nominally the chief lady-in-waiting, but in practice often limited her service to state occasions; theDame di Corte was the regular lady-in-waiting who personally attended to the queen, while theDame di Palazzo were honorary courtiers attached to the royal palaces in particular cities, such as Florence, Turin, and so forth, and only served temporary when the queen visited the city in question: among these, only theDame di Palazzo attached to the royal palace of the capital of Rome served more than temporary.[37]
In Japan, the imperial court offices were normally reserved for members of the court aristocracy and the ladies-in-waiting or 'palace attendants' were commonly educated members of the nobility.[38][page needed]
During theHeian period (794–1185) women could hold court offices of substantial responsibility, managing the affairs of the emperor.[38] Female palace attendants were employed by the Imperial Bureau of Palace Attendants from among the court aristocracy, but were required to have sufficient education in Chinese classics to be accepted.[39][page needed]
During theSengoku period (1467–1603), the highest rank of a lady-in-waiting was the 'Female Assistant to the Major Counselor', who ran the affairs of the daily life of the Imperial Household.[38] The second rank wasKoto No Naishi (Female Palace Attendant), who acted as intermediary between the emperor and those seeking an audience and issued his wishes in writing.[38] Ladies-in-waiting acted as imperial secretaries and noted the events at court, visitors and gifts in the official court journals.[38]
In contrast to China, female palace attendants managed the palace of the imperial harem rather thaneunuchs, and could hold high court offices in the emperor's personal household.[39]
Female palace attendants were divided into two classes, which in turn had several ranks, signifying their task.[40][page needed] The first class consisted of thenyokan, or ladies-in-waiting who held court offices:naishi-kami (shoji)naishi-suke (tenji) andnaishi-no-jo (shoji). The second class were the female palace attendants:myobu,osashi,osue andnyoju.[40] The ladies-in-waiting worked as personal assistants, tending to the emperor's wardrobe, assisting the emperor's baths, serving meals, performing and attending court rituals.[39] Ladies-in-waiting could be appointed as concubines, consorts or even empresses by the emperor or the heir to the throne.[39] The function of a lady-in-waiting as potential concubine was abolished in 1924.[39]
Gungnyeo (literally 'palace women') is a term that refers to women who worked in the palace and waited upon the king and other members of the royal family. It is short forGungjung Yeogwan, which translates to 'woman officer of the royal court'.
Gungnyeo consisted of the ladies-in-waiting—both high-ranking court ladies and the ordinary maids (known asnain) responsible for most of the labour work—who were divided intoranks from 9 to 5 (the ranks from 4 to 1 were the official concubines of the king), with two levels each (senior and junior), the highest attainable rank beingsanggung (senior 5th),[41] as well as other types of working women who were not included in the classification, such asmusuri (women from the lowest class who did odd jobs, such as drawing water and distributing firewood),gaksimi (also known asbija andbangja, who were personal servants of asanggung),sonnim (literally translated to 'guest', were maids brought in the palace to work for the royal concubines, most of the time connected to the families of the concubines) anduinyeo (selected from public female slaves, they worked at the royal infirmary or public clinics, and practiced simple medicine skills).
Generally, the ladies-in-waiting were chosen from among the young girls of thesangmin (commoners) and the private femaleslaves of thesadaebu (governing class). Later, the candidates were also picked from among the government slaves, together with the daughters of noblemen's concubines (who were formercourtesans or slaves). The appointment process was different fornain associated with the inner quarters for the king and queen, who were recruited by the high ranked court ladies themselves, through recommendations and connections. Thenain for the departments with specific skills such as sewing and embroidery were from thejungin (middle class), with the lowest class ofgungnyeo coming from thecheonmin (vulgar commoners).
They could be as young as 4 when entering the palace, and after learning court language and etiquette, they could be elevated to anain. When they had served the court for more than 15 years, they would eventually be promoted to higher ranks; however, they were eligible for the rank ofsanggung only after a minimum of 35 years of work.
Ladies-in-waiting could become concubines if the king favored them. They would be elevated to the highest rank (senior 5th) and would be known asseungeun sanggung (or 'favored/special court lady'). If they gave birth to a son, they would become members of the royal family, after being promoted tosug-won (junior 4th) and until the 18th century, they could advance as high as becoming queen (the most notable example beingJang Ok-jeong, a concubine ofSukjong of Joseon and mother ofGyeongjong of Joseon).
The court of the Duchy of Burgundy, which was situated in the Netherlands in the 15th century, was famous for its elaborate ceremonial court life and became a role model for several other courts of Europe.[2] The Burgundian court model came to be the role model for the Austrian imperial court during the 16th century, when the Burgundian Netherlands and Austria were united through the Habsburg dynasty.[3]
In the 16th century, the ladies-in-waiting in the courts of the Habsburg governors of the Netherlands, Margaret of Austria andMary of Hungary, were composed of oneHofmeesteres (Court Mistress) orDame d'honneur who served as the principal lady-in-waiting; oneHofdame orMere de Filles, who was second in rank and deputy of theHofmeesteres as well as being in charge of theEredames (Maids of Honour), also known asDemoiselle d'honneur,Fille d'honneur orJunckfrauen, and finally theKameniersters (Chamber Maids), all with different titles depending on language in the multilingual area of the Netherlands.[4]
TheKingdom of the Netherlands was founded in 1815, signifying the organisation of a royal court. In the 19th century, the ladies-in-waiting of the Dutch court were headed by theGrootmeesteres (Grand Mistress, equivalent to Mistress of the Robes), of second rank were theDames du Palais (married ladies-in-waiting), followed by the third rankHofdames (Court Ladies, equivalent to Maids of Honour).[42][page needed][43][full citation needed]
Beatrix of the Netherlands had a total of sevenHofdames. They accompanied the queen and the other female members of the Royal House during visits and receptions at the royal court. The monarch paid for their expenses, but they did not receive any salary. Not all of these ladies were members of the Dutch aristocracy, but each had a "notable" husband. Excellent social behavior and discretion were the most important recommendations for becoming aHofdame. In 2012, theHofdames were Letje van Karnebeek-van Lede, Lieke Gaarlandt-van Voorst van Beest, Julie Jeekel-Thate, Miente Boellaard-Stheeman,Jonkvrouwe Reina de Blocq van Scheltinga, Elizabeth Baroness van Wassenaer-Mersmans and Bibi Baroness van Zuylen van Nijevelt,Jonkvrouwe den Beer Poortugael.Queen Maxima reduced the number ofHofdames to three, hers being: Lieke Gaarlandt-van Voorst van Beest, Pien van Karnebeek-Thijssen and Annemijn Crince le Roy-van Munster van Heuven. After their voluntary retirement,Hofdames were appointed to the honorary royal household. The honorary royal household still distinguishes betweenDames du Palais andHofdames, but the categoryDames du Palais is slated for discontinuation.
TheGrootmeesteres (Grandmistress) is the highest-ranking lady at the royal court. From 1984 until 2014, the position was held byMartine van Loon-Labouchere, descendant of the famous banker family, a former diplomat and the widow ofJonkheerMaurits van Loon of the famous Amsterdam canal estate. The currentGrootmeesteres is Bibi Countess van Zuylen van Nijevelt-den Beer Poortugael [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibi_den_Beer_Poortugael|nl] (lady-in-waiting between 2011 and 2014).
A number of tribes and cultural areas in the African continent, such as theLobedu people of Southern Africa, had a similar custom of ladies-in-waiting in historic times.
As a further example, within certainpre-colonial states of theBini andYoruba peoples in Nigeria, thequeen mothers andhigh priestesses were considered "ritually male" due to their social eminence. As a result of this fact, they were often attended to by women who belonged to theirharems in much the same way as their actually male counterparts were served by women who belonged to theirs. Although these women effectively functioned as ladies-in-waiting, were often members of powerful families of the local nobility in their own right, and were not usually used for sexual purposes, they were nonetheless referred to as their principals' "wives".
During theDanish–Norwegian union, from 1380 until 1814, the Danish royal court in Copenhagen was counted as the Norwegian royal court, and thus there was no royal court present in Norway during this period. During the union between Norway and Sweden from 1814 to 1905, there were Norwegian courtiers who served during the Swedish royal family's visits to Norway. The female courtiers were appointed according to the Swedish court model, that is to say the class ofHovfröken (Maid of Honour),Kammarfröken (Chief Maid of Honour) andStatsfru (Lady of the Bedchamber), all supervised by theOverhoffmesterinne (Mistress of the Robes): these posts were first appointed in 1817.[44][page needed] When the union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved in 1905, a permanent Norwegian royal court was established.
In theOttoman Empire, the wordlady-in-waiting or court lady has often been used to describe those women of theImperial Harem who functioned as servants, secretaries, and companions of the consorts (concubines), daughters, sisters and mothers of theOttoman Sultan. These women originally came to the Harem as slaves, captured through theCrimean slave trade, theBarbary slave trade and theWhite slave trade.[45] When they entered the Harem, they were given the position ofCariye and were all formally available as concubines to the Sultan, but if they were not chosen to share his bed, they served in a position similar to lady-in-waiting, serving the mother, concubines, sisters, and daughters of the Sultan.[45]
The (enslaved) ladies-in-waiting of the Ottoman Imperial harem were collectively known askalfa, of different ranks. Each royal and royal concubine had their own household staff of kalfa; a kalfa serving as the servant of the sultan himself was titledHünkar Kalfalari.[46]AHazinedar orHazinedar Usta was a kalfa with special assignments rather than just an ordinary attendant, and was ranked under theHazinedar Usta.[47]All kalfa belonging to the same household within the court were ranked under theirDaire Kalfasi, who was the supervisor of the kalfa's belonging to a specific royal person.[47] AllDaire Kalfasi of the harem were rankend under theBüyük Kalfa, who in turn was the supervisor of all theDaire Kalfasi of the court.[47] The highest ranked kalfa was theSaray Ustas, who supervised all the kalfa of the entire court (harem).[47]
In early modern Poland, the queen's ladies-in-waiting were collectively referred to as thefraucimer. The queen's household mirrored that of the king, but was smaller. The queen's male courtiers were supervised by the Ochmistrz, a nobleman, and the women of her court were supervised by the chief lady-in-waiting, the Ochmistrzyni (magister curiae). The Ochmistrzyni was defined as a state office and it was the only state office in Poland prior to thepartition of Poland which was held by a woman. She was always to be a noblewoman married to a nobleman of senatorial rank. The Ochmistrzyni supervised a large number of unmarried ladies-in-waiting, maids of honour. The queen's court was a larger version of the courts of the Polish magnate noblewomen, and it was the custom in the Polish nobility to send their teenage daughters to be educated as ladies-in-waiting in the household of another noblewoman or preferably the queen herself in order to receive an education and find someone to marry.[48]
The royal court of Portugal was influenced by the Spanish court model, after Portugal became independent of Spain and created its own royal court in 1640.
The court register of 1896 noted theCamareira-mór as the senior of all the ladies-in-waiting of the Portuguese court, followed by theDama Camarista Mulher do mordomo mór de S. a Rainha, and theDama honoraria Mulher do mestre sala. All three positions were at that date occupied by one person.[49] The fourth rank was theDona camarista (there were five in 1896), and the lowest rank of ladies-in-waiting was theDona honoraira, of which there were 21 in 1896.[50]
In the Court ofMuscovite Russia, the offices of ladies-in-waiting to thetsarina were normally divided among theboyarinas (widows or wives ofboyars), often from the family and relatives of the tsarina.[51] The first rank among the offices of the ladies-in-waiting was the tsarina'streasurer. The second was the group of companions. The third were the royal nurses to the princes and princesses (where the nurses of the male children outranked); among the nurses, the most significant post was that of themamok, the head royal governess, who was normally selected from elder widows, often relatives to the tsar or tsarina.[52] All offices were appointed by royal decree. The group of ladies-in-waiting were collectively above the rank of thesvetlichnaya (the tsarina's sewing women), thepostelnitsy (the tsarina's chamber women and washing women) and the officials who handled the affairs of the staff.[52]
In 1722, this system was abolished and the Russian imperial court was reorganized in accordance with the reforms ofPeter the Great towesternize Russia, and the old court offices of the tsarina were replaced with court offices inspired by the German model.[53]
The royal court of Castile included a group of ladies-in-waiting for the queen namedCamarera in the late 13th century and early 14th century, but it was not until the 15th century that a set organisation of the ladies-in-waiting is confirmed.[54][page needed] This characteristic organisation of the Spanish ladies-in-waiting, roughly established during the reign ofIsabella I of Castile (r. 1474–1504), was kept byIsabella of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Spain, during the 16th century, and became the standard Spanish court model for ladies-in-waiting.[54]
The early modern Swedish court, as well as the Danish equivalent, were re-organized in the early 16th century according to the German court model, in turn inspired by the Austrian imperial court model.[6] This model roughly organized the female noble courtiers in the class of the unmarriedHovfröken (Maid of Honour, until 1719Hovjungfru) which could be promoted toKammarfröken (Chief Maid of Honour, until 1719Kammarjungfru).[6] They were supervised by theHovmästarinna (Court Mistress, equivalent toMistress of the Robes), normally a married or widowed elder noblewoman.[6] Under this class of female noble courtiers, were the non-noble female servants. They were headed by the normally marriedKammarfru (Mistress of the Chamber, roughly equivalent to aLady's Maid), often of burgher background, who supervised the group ofKammarpiga (Chamber Maids).[6]
From the reign ofQueen Christina, theHovmästarinna was supervised by theÖverhovmästarinna (Chief Court Mistress).[6] In 1774, the post ofStatsfru (Mistress of the State) was introduced, which was the title for the group of married ladies-in-waiting with a rank between theHovmästarinna and theKammarfröken.[55][page needed] The Swedish court staff was reduced in size in 1873.[55] The new court protocols of 1911 and 1954 continued this reduction, and many court posts were abolished or no longer filled.
With the exception of theStatsfru and theÖverhovmästarinna, none of the titles above are in use today. At the death of Queen Louise in 1965, herÖverhovmästarinna was employed by the king. From 1994, theÖverhovmästarinna is the head of the court of the king rather than the queen, while the court of the queen is headed by theStatsfru. There is now only oneStatsfru, and the other ladies-in-waiting are simply referred to asHovdam (Court Lady).Queen Silvia of Sweden has only threeHovdamer (Court Ladies). Her chief lady-in-waiting is theStatsfru.
In theRoyal Households of the United Kingdom, a lady-in-waiting is a woman attending a female member of theroyal family. Ladies-in-waiting are routinely appointed by junior female members of the royal family, to accompany them on public engagements and provide other support and assistance.[56]
On more formal occasions ladies in waiting wear a badge of office, which usually takes the form of a jewelled or enamelledmonogram of the relevant member of the royal family beneath the appropriate crown or coronet, suspended from a coloured ribbon.[57]
Prior to theAccession of Charles III, a woman attending on a queen (whetherqueen regnant,queen consort orqueen dowager) was also often referred to as a lady-in-waiting (including in official notices), although she would more formally be called either awoman of the bedchamber or alady of the bedchamber (depending on which of these offices she held). The senior lady of a queen's household was themistress of the robes, who (as well as being in attendance herself on occasion) was responsible for arranging all the duties of the queen's ladies in waiting.[56]
During the reign ofQueen Elizabeth II, one of thewomen of the bedchamber was always in daily attendance; each served for a fortnight at a time, in rotation. In theCourt Circular the phrase 'Lady in Waiting to the Queen' referred to the women on duty at a given time.[58]
Theladies of the bedchamber were not in daily attendance, but were called upon for the more important public occasions and events.[56] Two ladies-in-waiting used to accompany the Queen on overseas tours, one of whom was usually a Lady of the Bedchamber.[56] For many years the Queen was always attended by three ladies-in-waiting at the State Opening of Parliament (the Mistress of the Robes, a Lady of the Bedchamber and a Woman of the Bedchamber), but in 1998 the number attending was reduced to two.[59]
Towards the end of her reign, the ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II were:[60]
Mistress of the Robes
Ladies of the Bedchamber
Women of the Bedchamber
Extra ladies-in-waiting[66]
After the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of Charles III, it was announced that the King would be retaining the late Queen's ladies-in-waiting, with their titles changing to "Ladies of the Household".[67] They will help with hosting events at Buckingham Palace.[67]
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In November 2022, it was announced thatQueen Camilla would end the tradition of having ladies-in-waiting. Instead, she would be helped by "Queen's companions".[67] Their role would be informal and they would not be involved in tasks such as replying to letters or developing schedules.[67]
As of 30 November 2022[update] her companions are:[67]
In the Middle Ages,Margaret of France is noted to have had seven ladies-in-waiting: three married ones, who were calledDomina, and four unmarriedmaids of honour, but no principal lady-in-waiting is mentioned,[68] and until the 15th century, the majority of the officeholders of the queen's household were still male.[69]
As late as in the mid-15th century,Elizabeth Woodville had only five ladies-in-waiting,[69] but in the late 15th century and early 16th century, ladies-in-waiting were given a more dominant place at the English court, in parallel with developments in France and the continental courts. The court life of the Duchy of Burgundy served as an example whenEdward IV created theBlack Book of the Household in 1478,[3] and the organisation of the English royal household was essentially set from that point onward.[70][page needed]
Elizabeth of York had numerous ladies-in-waiting, which was reported by the Spanish ambassador, Rodrigo de Puebla, as something unusual and astonishing: "the Queen has thirty-two ladies, very magnificent and in splendid style".[69] She reportedly had 36 ladies-in-waiting, 18 of them noblewomen; in 1502, a more complete account summarised them as 16 'gentlewomen', seven maids of honour and three 'chamberers-women', who attended to her in the bedchamber.[69] Aside from the women formally employed as ladies-in-waiting, the Queen's female retinue in reality also consisted of the daughters and the ladies-in-waiting of her ladies-in-waiting, who also resided in the Queen's household.[69]
The duties of ladies-in-waiting at theTudor court were to act as companions for the queen, both in public and in private. They had to accompany her wherever she went, to entertain her with music, dance or singing and to dress, bathe and help her use the toilet, since a royal person, by the standards of the day, was not supposed to do anything for herself, but was always to be waited upon in all daily tasks as a sign of their status.[69]
Ladies-in-waiting were appointed because of their social status as members of the nobility, on the recommendation of court officials, or other prominent citizens, and because they were expected to be supporters of the royal family due to their own family relationships. When the queen was not a foreigner, her own relations were often appointed as they were presumed to be trustworthy and loyal.Margaret Lee was a lady of the privy chamber toAnne Boleyn, just asElizabeth Seymour was toJane Seymour.
The organisation of the queen's ladies-in-waiting was set in the period of the Tudor court. The ladies-in-waiting were headed by the mistress of the robes, followed in rank by thefirst lady of the bedchamber, who supervised the group of ladies of the bedchamber (typically wives or widows of peers above the rank of earl), in turn followed by the group of women of the bedchamber (usually the daughters of peers) and finally the group of maids of honour, whose service entitled them to thestyle ofThe Honourable for life.[71]
The system had formally remained roughly the same since the Tudor period. However, in practice, many offices have since then been left vacant. For example, in recent times, maids of honour have only been appointed forcoronations.
This is a list of particularly well known and famous ladies-in-waiting of each nation listed. More can be found in their respective category.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
