Ladies-in-Waiting in Medieval England

Examines how ladies-in-waiting were selected and rewarded for service, explores their political roles, and illuminates their daily lives.

Caroline Dunn (Author)

9781009457019, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 January 2025

362 pages, 10 b/w illus. 5 tables
23.6 x 16.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.664 kg

'Caroline Dunn takes us as never before into the world of honourable service of ladies-in-waiting. We see the inner workings of these establishments through the lives of some 1200 ladies, the links between families, kin, service, and their daily routine. This is a major contribution to our understanding of the significance of the domestic and access to power in the great household.' Chris Woolgar, author of The Great Household in Late Medieval England

Ladies-in-Waiting in Medieval England examines female attendants who served queens and aristocratic women during the late medieval period. Using a unique set of primary source based statistics, Caroline Dunn reveals that the lady-in-waiting was far more than a pretty girl sewing in the queen's chamber while seeking to catch the eye of an eligible bachelor. Ladies-in-waiting witnessed major historical events of the era and were sophisticated players who earned significant rewards. They had both family and personal interests to advance – through employment they linked kin and court, and through marriage they built bridges between families. Whether royal or aristocratic, ladies-in-waiting worked within gendered spaces, building female-dominated social networks, while also operating within a masculine milieu that offered courtiers of both sexes access to power. Working from a range of sources wider than the subjective anecdote, Dunn presents the first scholarly treatment of medieval English ladies-in-waiting.

Introduction
Part I. The People of the Household: 1. The household: size, gender, and recruitment
2. Marriage and courtier families
Part II. Rhythms of Life: 3. Daily life and domestic duties
4. Ritual and ceremony
Part III. Power and its Rewards: 5. Authority, influence, and power politics
6. Rewards for good service
Conclusion: Power, authority, influence, and service
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: British & Irish history [HBJD1]