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Chancery of the Queens of Bohemia in Late Middle Ages

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2019

Abstract

While the chancery of Queens of Bohemia takes part of sovereign chanceries with a close connection to the King's one, it shows special features, above all in the field of its agenda that is similar to a mere aristocratic chancery (it is restrained in most cases to the governement of Queen's dowry possessions). The question of the very definition of the Queen's chancery thus shall be adressed in the paper.

The essential issues of the conference paper will nevertheless be the development of this chancery in Late Middle Ages in terms of its staffing (with the primary use of the prosopographic method), e.g. what intertwining of officers was between the King's and Queen's chanceries, where the Queen's chancery members were recruited (Queen's country of origin, dowry possessions etc.), compared to the institutional development of the King's chancery, but also the other members of the Royal family (e.g. Queen's sons).

The second question will be the position of the Queen's chancery and its staff within her administrative system and court. The question whether there were changes in the Queen's chancery after her becoming a widow will not be omitted as well.

In the point of chronological view, the emphasis shall be put on the Queens of Bohemia - consorts of the Kings from the House of Luxembourg with obvious overlaps into the previous and subsequent periods.