Chamberlain
A chamberlain (in Austria and Bavaria chamberlain ; Middle Latin : Cambellanus or Cambrerius; French: Chambellan; English: Chamberlain ) held a court office with a ruling ruler, i.e. prince, king or emperor. In the times of absolutism , it was often a (honorary) title that was largely released from real duties. The chamberlain was ranked above chamberlain and chamberlain . At large courts, the chamberlains were subordinate to the court marshal or the lord of the chamberlain. Emblem of rank was a key.
A distinction is to be made between the court office and that of the treasurer , a tax officer - however, the court office in Austria and Bavaria also referred to as the treasurer .
The rank of the chamberlain was very high; in some courts they ranked above the lieutenant general, in others above the major general, in still others on a par with them.
history
The title can be found at German courts around the 16th century with the introduction of the Spanish court ceremony by the Habsburgs . In a report on the entourage when Archduke Ferdinand entered Munich in 1568, five chamberlains are mentioned.
At first it was a title at the imperial court that was bestowed on high-ranking aristocrats: with Emperor Rudolph II , for example, Duke Heinrich Julius of Braunschweig was the real chamberlain. Over time, the titles were also given to lower-ranking princes, counts or barons.
This designation became popular at electoral courts from the middle of the 17th century. It is known that Johann Georg II. Of Saxony employed the first chamberlain at an electoral court. The title of Chamberlain was usually given to a person who already held another high rank.
The number of chamberlains per court varied greatly. It was comparatively high among the Habsburgs: Leopold I had 426 chamberlaughters in the last year of his term in office. Charles VI appointed 158 Chamberlain in 1736 alone.
Duties
The scope of the real duties associated with this designation varied from farm to farm and also changed over time. The service was done monthly or weekly. It consisted of ceremonial handouts when dressing and undressing, accompanying when going out, riding or traveling. Secretarial services were also common, such as organizing private audiences or receiving petitions, serving the prince at meals or participating in board games with the prince. Chamberlains could also be sent to other courts as emissaries in order to convey messages, congratulations or expressions of condolences.
In the age of Emperor Franz Joseph , the award of chamberlaincy (in the sense of chamberlain ) to aristocrats was an honorary award , which, however, included a "court service": for example, to actually appear at the court festivals and thus a dignified one to the imperial court due to one's own high descent To give accompaniment.
right
A salary was associated with the rank of chamberlain. Chamberlains had the right to wear a silver, gold-plated or gold chamberlain key tied with a ribbon on their right hip . Its design and the type of fortification also varied from courtyard to courtyard and over time.
reception
Theodor Fontane's novel Irrecoverable offers a detailed account of the role of chamberlain .
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon (1905): Chamberlain
- ^ Karl Möckl (Otto Friedrich University Bamberg): Court and court society in Bavaria in the time of the Prince Regent. In: Paris Historical Studies . Volume 21 (1985). Pp. 183-235.
- ^ Heinrich August Pierer : Universal encyclopedia of the present and past (1857-1865): Chamberlain
- ^ Karl Möckl (Otto Friedrich University Bamberg): Court and court society in Bavaria in the time of the Prince Regent. In: Paris Historical Studies. Volume 21 (1985). Pp. 183-235. here especially p. 198f.
- ↑ Martina Winkelhofer-Thyri: The court under Emperor Franz Joseph. Vienna 2010 (PhD thesis), p. 90 ( digitized version )
literature
- Johann Georg Krünitz: Economic encyclopedia or general system of the state, city, house and agriculture. Published in 242 volumes from 1773 to 1858. online