What was daily life like for a medieval king?

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Stephen Tempest

348k Views Upvoted by Tim O'Neill, I have a M.A. in Medieval Literature and have studied most
aspects of the period for many years.
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Mediaeval kings spent a lot of time travelling around their realm from place to place.
One of the duties of a vassal was offering hospitality to the king and his entourage if he
chose to pay a visit - which could get very expensive, since kings always travelled with a
large number of guards, ministers, servants and companions befitting their status.
Indeed, one of the purposes of such visits was to make sure the subjects were reminded
who their king was, and to give him the opportunity to inspect things in person.
Still, for the purpose of this description we'll assume the king is at home in one of the
castles he owns. We'll also assume we're talking about a Western European king in the
High Middle Ages (1200-1350, or thereabouts).
The king or lord of a castle, and his wife, were often the only people to have a private
bedroom of their own - and even here 'private' is a relative term, since it was normal
for a servant or two to spend the night on a pallet bed in the same room, in case the
king woke during the night and needed them. This bedroom was called the 'solar' since
it was usually constructed high in the great tower of a keep, with windows to let the
sunlight in. The walls would likely be stone, whitewashed or plastered, and hung with
tapestries to keep out the draughts. The floor would be wooden; carpets had not been
introduced yet in Europe.
As time went by, it became more common for high-ranking members of the household
to have separate bedrooms; but it was not yet standard. Most people slept communally
in the Great Hall, or in the case of servants on the floor of their own workplace
(kitchen, stable, etc).
The king's bed was wooden - and capable of being dismantled so the king could take it
with him when going on a journey. The springs would be made of leather or rope, the
mattress and pillows of linen stuffed with goose-feathers, and the bed was normally of
the 'four-poster' design with linen curtains that could be pulled across to give the

illusion of privacy from the servants sleeping a couple of metres away. It seems that
people usually slept naked (those who could afford warm beds, at any rate).

A canopied mediaeval bed - this picture dates from about 1400, and shows Queen
Guinevere dragging Sir Lancelot into her bed.

On waking, the king and queen would wash their hands and face in a bowl of water
brought up to the bedroom by a servant. The toilet ('privy chamber') was usually a
small room built into the tower wall, with a simple hole in a seat overhanging the moat.
Having a bath or shower was not something done as a daily routine - heating and
carrying all that water up from the well in buckets was very labour-intensive, so baths
were considered a special treat.
The king would then get dressed, either by himself or with the aid of servants. Typical
undergarments would be a pair of linen 'braies' (baggy underpants, fastened around
the waist by a cord tie), woollen 'hose' (stockings, which attached to the same cord tie
as the underwear), and perhaps a linen 'chemise' (shirt). Then over this came a tunic,
which was normally a full-length garment with long, baggy sleeves that pulled on over

the head and hung down to the ground. This was a status symbol - people who had to
work for a living wore shorter tunics that left their legs free. Also, while most tunics even for nobility - were made of wool, a king might wear a tunic of silk or velvet or even
cotton (which was more expensive than silk) to show off his wealth. A second tunic or
'surcoat' was often worn over the first one - it was generally shorter, with short, wide
sleeves, and the fashion-conscious would make sure that the colours of the over-tunic
and under-tunic complemented each other. Finally, a hood or mantle would be
fastened around the neck - while this could be pulled up over the head to keep your
ears warm, its primary purpose was actually decorative; they could be trimmed with
expensive fur or jewels. Shoes and a belt completed the ensemble. There were no
pockets - you tucked things into your sleeves, or hung a pouch from your belt.
Women's clothes were not much different to men's at this time, except that instead of a
shirt and breeches, their undergarment was a linen shift. A woman's surcoat was often
sleeveless, and sometimes cut away at the sides, to emphasise her figure. Also, married
women were expected to cover their hair when in public, with a cloth scarf, hat or
wimple; unmarried women kept their hair uncovered, often with jewelled clips in it.

Clothing styles for the nobility circa 1300 - an ankle-length long-sleeved tunic, with a
second surcoat with short or no sleeves worn over the top of it.

After dressing, the king would go to his private chapel, where he would hear Mass. He
might then go down to the Great Hall to break his fast (that is, have breakfast) with his

nobles and attendants. This was normally simple; bread and beer. (Very weak beer, not
something you could easily get drunk on.) Many people did not eat breakfast at all, but
instead waited until dinner, which was generally served early at about 11:00 in the
morning.
The Great Hall usually covered the entire first floor of the castle (the ground floor was
used for storage, and had no doors or windows for defensive reasons). There would be
a fireplace either in the centre of the room or against one wall. A raised dais was at one
end of the hall (furthest from the entrance) where the king's throne would be set,
sometimes with a canopy over it, along with less-impressive chairs for his family,
honoured guests, and most important advisors. At mealtimes, benches and trestle
tables would be set up in the hall, and the tables covered in clean white cloths.
Afterwards, the benches could be pushed to the sides of the room to make space - and
at night many of the castle staff, even those of high rank, would sleep on those benches.
There was no set routine for the king's day, but a conscientious ruler would have plenty
of official business to take care of. This can be divided into two categories - affairs of
state and estate management.
The king might have policy discussions with his Council - the most powerful barons
and bishops of the realm, and his chief ministers such as the Treasurer, the Chancellor
and the Marshal. He would issue commands, that were noted down by royal clerks. He
might administer justice - the king was considered the chief judge of the kingdom, and
while this task was normally delegated the king reserved the right to hear cases in
person. He might hear petitions and appeals from his subjects, and requests for him to
grant them a favour or use his power on their behalf. As a rule, the latter two tasks
were reserved for special occasions - the king would hold court in a castle or hall, and
summon his nobles and people to appear before him so he could 'seek their advice and
counsel' and dispense justice. These formal meetings would eventually develop into the
institution of Parliament.
Estate management was vital because the king was the largest landowner in the
country. Contrary to popular belief, most of the royal income in mediaeval times did
not come from taxes (which were normally only levied in national emergencies such as
a war) but from tolls, rents and income from the king's tenants and those making use
of his property. Overseeing his tenants and managing the income was a major job, and
a responsible king would spend a lot of time with his stewards going over the accounts
and supervising their decisions.
If the king had no official business to conduct that day, he might instead go hunting - a
very popular pastime with the nobility. Most hunting was done from horseback, with

the quarry being deer or perhaps wild boar. A professional huntsman with a team of
dogs would flush out the quarry and corner it, then the king or his guests and
companions would kill the prey with a spear or bow and arrow. Hawking and falconry
were also popular pastimes - for ladies as well as knights. The prey killed would usually
find its way to the royal table at dinnertime.
The main meal of the day was normally started early, before midday, and would go on
for a couple of hours. Elaborate rituals and etiquette surrounded the meal; it was an
important way for the king to demonstrate his wealth and status, and do honour to his
important guests. The seating arrangement for a meal was determined according to
rigid rules of precedence - the more important you were, the closer to the king you
were sat. Women and men would be interspersed where possible.

Mediaeval dinnertime, from the Luttrell Psalter

It was considered polite to wash your hands before eating; a bowl of water might be set
out next to the entrance to the hall to allow this, or the servants would bring ewers of
water to each guest. Washing your hands between courses was also important - since
the fork had not yet been invented, so people picked food up with their fingers.
(Though spoons were used for soup and broth, and knives for cutting.)
Rather than plates, food was often eaten from 'trenchers', which were large, thick slices
of slightly stale bread. These soaked up the juices from the food, and if you were
especially hungry you could eat them as well. The meal would have multiple courses,
and each course would often see several different dishes placed on the table, from
which you could select as much or as little as you liked of each. It was considered polite
to serve the person sitting next to you before yourself, if they were of a higher rank
than you.

The first course of the meal was often boiled or stewed meat - pork, chicken, mutton
and venison being most common - prepared with an elaborate range of stronglyflavoured sauces, herbs and spices. On fast days, fish was served instead of meat - eels
and lampreys, herring or pike, with more of the elaborate sauces and dressings. After
the first course, fruit or nuts might be served to clear the palate.
The second course would be roast meat - often venison or game from the hunters,
although this was an opportunity for extravagant hosts to impress their guests by
serving exotic meat - roast peacock, for example. Salmon, turbot or lampreys might be
served on fish days. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, peas and beans would
accompany the meat, though often incorporated into sauces and pottages rather than
being served separately. Bread was also served, and was often graded into qualities
(the whiter the bread, the better) and given to guests of the appropriate status.
The third course would be fruit-based dishes - quinces, damsons, apples, pears, other
fruits depending on season; often baked or candied or made into compotes. Small,
expensive meat dishes might also be served such as roast sparrows or pickled sturgeon.
Finally, cheese would be served at the end of the meal.
To drink, there would be either wine or beer. Wine was considered the higher status
drink, so you could expect it to be served at a royal banquet - while the servants and
lesser guests would get beer. By modern standard mediaeval wine was very rough; it
had to be drunk the same year it was made (no corks and no glass bottles). As a point
of interest, in the year 1363 King Edward III of England's royal household got through
170,310 gallons of wine, most of it shipped over from Bordeaux.
Both during and after the meal there would be entertainment. Jesters actually did
exist; from what we know of the mediaeval sense of humour people tended to enjoy
slapstick, sarcasm and practical jokes, and could be rather cruel in their humour.
Actors, jugglers and acrobats might also be hired to provide entertainment. Music,
however, was perhaps more common; musicians would play lutes or harps or other
instruments, and minstrels would sing songs and ballads. After the meal was over
some of the nobles present might also give a performance of a song or poem, if they
had the talent. Composing your own poem was considered a notable achievement though we know that some noblemen paid professional troubadours to write songs for
them, which they then passed off as their own!

A group of Italians from Siena dancing in about the year 1340, to the music of a
tambourine.

There might also be dancing once the tables were pushed aside. Party games such as
blind man's buff were popular. Less energetic nobles might play chess or backgammon,
or gamble with dice. Playing cards reached Europe towards the end of the 14th century.
As for sport, bowling became so popular in the 14th century that several kings tried
(unsuccessfully) to ban it since it interfered with archery practice. Jeu de paume, the
ancestor of tennis, was also popular - it was played with a gloved hand rather than a
racket. Football was considered a peasants' game, and cricket hadn't yet been
developed. Various martial practices such as fencing, tilting (jousting practice) and
archery might also be engaged in. People might also go for a walk or a ride outside if
the weather was fine.
The second meal of the day would be served at the end of the afternoon, being smaller
and simpler than dinner. The evening was usually spent relaxing; and people generally
went to bed early so they could be up first thing in the morning, and make maximum
use of daylight.