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The office of chamberlain (Lat. camerarius or cubicularius) was one of the most important court officials of the European princely courts from the early Middle Ages onward. It is attested already among the Visigoths and the Merovingians and has even older precursors in the royal household of the East Roman imperial court [8. 496 f.]. It was originally in the hands of the chamberlain that responsibility lay for the running of the household of the prince . In the course of the Middle Ages this narrowed down - partly because of the increasing signifi…

1. DefinitionThe early modern royal court comprised the household of the ruling prince. Those in its employ had to keep the household running and supply the prince’s personal needs [11]; each was responsible for various tasks within the royal household. Four of the most important court officials have both Roman and Germanic origins: the steward (also called the seneschal) was in charge of court supplies and oversaw court administration and staff; the chamberlain was responsible for household management (including questi…

1. Court law 1.1. IntroductionA princely court was not just the site of the highest jurisdiction under the prince’s authority; it also constituted a legal space unto itself. Specific rules and norms issued by the prince were in force there that regulated the behavior of members of the court and visitors within the confines of the court. If these rules were violated, the prince’s court had its own jurisdiction. The task of administering justice at court often fell to the chief steward ( Hofmarschall). Members of court thus stood outside ordinary municipal jurisdiction. As a …