Early Modern Court Culture

Through a thematic overview of court culture that connects the cultural with the political, confessional, spatial, material and performative, this volume introduces the dynamics of power and culture in the early modern European court.

Exploring the period from 1500 to 1750, Early Modern Court Culture is cross-cultural and interdisciplinary, providing insights into aspects of both community and continuity at courts as well as individual identity, change and difference. Culture is presented as not merely a vehicle for court propaganda in promoting the monarch and the dynasty, but as a site for a complex range of meanings that conferred status and virtue on the patron, maker, court and the wider community of elites. The essays show that the court provided an arena for virtue and virtuosity, intellectual and social play, demonstration of moral authority and performance of social, gendered, confessional and dynastic identity. This second edition expands the scope with three new chapters exploring the roles of mistresses, the significance of travel, and the place of animals at court. A new prologue from Susan Broomhall frames the collection, while updated chapters throughout incorporate global comparisons that situate European courts within broader international contexts.

With enhanced images bringing the material culture to life, and curated lists of additional sources for each chapter that guide readers toward further exploration, Early Modern Court Culture remains essential reading for all students and scholars interested in the court in early modern Europe.