Reasons to be at court.

[uknowitbeb]

The question is really in the title. What reasons would someone have to be present at a noble's or king's court? I am more so interested in reading reasons why a foreign diplomat would be present, but I guess the person's status isn't really necessary (or maybe it is). If you guys also know any links to any good sources (I've done a bit of research) it would be very appreciated.

 

[CupofJoe]

For diplomats there is usually a Quid Pro Quo - you receive their guy at your court so your guy will be received at theirs.
Its been that way in different formats for as long as there have been your/mine [the Romans and Chinese had a very basic diplomatic relationship in the 1 or 2C I have read].
The diplomat usually has the ability to talk for and even negotiate on behalf of their Boss. It could until recently [last hundred years or so] take weeks or longer for a message to get from here to there and sometimes you just need someone to give you a simple answer... or stop a war...
They can explain why X is or isn't doing something.
or how X will react to your Boss doing something.
They will often try to sell you stuff that they want to make money off... at a very good price I'm sure...
and badmouth mutual friends and enemies alike...
Okay then there is the spying and trying to influence the politics but that is usually not said out loud, just sort of expected of them... [watch out for people the title Cultural Attaché, that is the usual code for Spy-in-residence]
There might have been commoner diplomats but as it is a very powerful and influential position, I can't imagine that a King/Duke/Emperor would not give it to someone they trust/need and usually means someone of rank that all sides would respect/fear...
Diplomats are usually given a fair amount of protection from the local laws too. It helps with day to day life and with the spying but can be a source of friction if abused... last I read London is owed £70m in parking fees alone that diplomats refuse to pay...
I can't really help with links beyond suggesting the usually Google search for related words... but I did like this link... How do you become a Diplomat

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

My thoughts - and I'm working here on the model of a fantasy royal court - are that when court is in session the foreign ambassadors would be present. Not only when they are making submissions on behalf of their own king etc, but normally as a sign of respect between monarchs. To not be present when court is being held could be construed as an insult. This would be no different to missing official functions. On top of which an ambassador would surely also be learning about politics in the realm so would be expected to attend by his own king.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[N.S.Griffiths]

I'm not an expert, by far, this is just my two cents.

The way I usually break down my courts is this;

Empires/Large Kingdoms - assuming it's composed of a multitude of both conquered and peaceably-acquired nations, there would be a small-to-medium-sized party per nation at any given time.

For a conquered nation, there would be the appointed governor's representative - so for the conquered nation of Deadland, the emperor/ess would have appointed a governor to manage the boring details like commerce and local law, and then the governor would have appointed a trusted aide/second-in-command to be in court and inform xir of relevant news and events, as well as gossip and the political climate.

The aide would have a retinue most likely, including a bunch of personal assistants, their immediate family (spouse, children, etc), probably a personal guard of say four or so individuals (depending on how likely it is for them to be assissinated) who are sworn to them (not the empire or the emperor/ess), possibly a few messengers in their employ if horses are the go-to for communications, and slaves/servants of their own like scribes and maids and whatnot. In this case, the numbers of individuals tend to cap at about 40 or so, and that's a small group (especially if Deadland is a big nation). Depending on how long Deadland has been under imperial control, it could well be a trusted native who has risen to prominence.

In cases of emergency or extreme importance, the governor xirself would come back from Deadland and sit in on councils, and they might bring guild leaders or influential traders from Deadland to attend and give input if it's relevant.

Peaceably acquired nations would most likely send an ambassador or two (or three or four or however many they needed, I guess), who, as psychotick and CupOfJoe said, are there to observe the political doings and be the voice of their nation in court. Their main job is ensuring relations between the empire and their nation (let's call it Peaceland) remain smooth, both by acting as a broker for political and economic arrangements (like taxes, troop levies, trade agreements, etc) to ensure they remained mutually beneficial, and by entertaining the nobility of the empire's capital on a large scale to give the impression of strength and wealth.

A good example of this is Egypt-Rome's relations in the republic era; the ambassador held lavish banquets in Rome for all of the politicians, displayed a somewhat-stereotyped version of Egypt's culture (so it didn't seem as remote and alien) in the form of exotic animals like hippos and crocodiles, and dress styles/fabrics, cosmetics, etc, and spoke for Ptolomey Flute-Player when he got kicked out of his own kingdom at one point, in the end securing a huge loan from Crassus to reinstate him on the throne.

The ambassador had his own household and private manor, which was both his living space and his embassy, and was considered Egyptian ground (much like today, I think). His household would include a lot more slaves/servants, all most likely from his homeland, who were there not only to run the household but also as entertainers and curiosities, and to maintain the exotic beasts in his gardens. He would have had secretaries, the infamous 'cultural attachés' (some from Rome, some from Egypt) to monitor the political climate.

*Egypt wasn't technically a Roman asset at that point, but that was just a formality, they were basically owned by Rome.

^^These guys and gals were basically permanent fixtures throughout the friendly relations of their two nations in both examples. They lived in or near the court and turned up to all court sessions. In a kingdom, each province or county would have a lord who ruled over it, so the first example tends to apply more than the second in that case, just substitute governor for lord.

However, with independent nations who had little to no contact beyond war, things are different (in my courts, at least). Foreign delegations would be sent to the court only in times of potential war, when friction between nations was getting too hot to handle. Some nations might hire professional diplomats to speak for them, if the tension is really high.

Their sole purpose is to go to the court, with enough of a retinue to show off their strength (so more warriors than the other examples) and figure out a way to avoid war. They could be there a week, a month, or even longer, but they might largely rely on the hospitality of their host for accommodation. They are at a higher risk of being imprisoned or killed and made an example of, too - think 'sending heads in boxes' and that kind of thing.

They are much more similar to fortified, elevated messengers than actual ambassadors, and as such are more likely to be switched out if they're not achieving results. And, as with all of them, expect a large amount of servants or slaves to look after them.

TL;DR version: foreign diplomats are there either to strengthen alliances between nations and report back any relevant information to their monarchs if they're in permanent residence, or are there to try to avert war or beg for favours if the nations are not quite so friendly with each other. The latter leave and return home after the resolution of their assignment, assuming they survive or are not imprisoned.

I don't have any references, unfortunately, but hopefully this helps out somewhat.

 

[skip.knox]

The classic work on the topic, for Europe anyway, is Donald Queller's "The Office of the Ambassador in the Middle Ages". Which turned out to be more interesting than it sounds. The other is Garrett Mattingly's "Renaissance Diplomacy".

But before the actual office, with the mutuality and privileges that attend to the modern office, there were representatives of various kinds. Queller covers these, but they include things like a legate. The chief distinction is that these fellows were sent to a specific court for a specific purpose, for example to negotiate a marriage or a treaty. Once the job was done, the fellow went home again.

So, if your plot calls for some sort of thing like a treaty, then there's your reason for your diplomat (so named, btw, because he carried with him a letter, a diploma, that stated precisely what he was authorized to negotiate).

One of the pioneers in this field was Venice. Their diplomats not only wrote letters (in code, no less) back home, when they finished their job and returned to the city, they had to give a formal report before the Senate. It was regarded as an opportunity for a fellow to show off his rhetorical skills.

Don't know if any of that helps, but there it is. Also, not because it's relevant but because it's just sort of cool, I studied under Vince Ilardi, who was an authority on Milanese diplomacy in the Renaissance. He had file drawers full of (copies of) diplomatic documents. There's nothing quite like trying to read a 16th century document written by hand, in the Lombard dialect, and in code! I didn't so much read as ogled.