Court officials - Court officials or office-bearers (one type of courtier) derived their positions and retained their titles from their original duties within the courtly household. With time such duties often became archaic, but titles survived involving the ghosts of arcane duties, generally dating back to the days when a noble household had practical and mundane concerns as well as high politics and culture. Such court appointments each have their own histories. They include:
Chamberlain - An officer of the royal household responsible for the Chamber, meaning that he controlled access to the person of the king. He was also responsible for administration of the household and the private estates of the king. The Chamberlain was one of the four main officers of the court, the others being the Chancellor, the Justiciar, and the Treasurer.
Chancellor - The officer of the royal household who served as the monarch's secretary or notary. The Chancellor was responsible for the Chancery, the arm of the royal government dealing with domestic and foreign affairs. Usually the person filling this office was a Bishop chosen for his knowledge of the law. "Keeper of the barrier, secretary, usher of a law court," so called because he worked behind a lattice at a basilica or law court.
Justiciar - The head of the royal judicial system and the king's viceroy, when the actual viceroy was absent from the country.
Treasurer - The chief financial officer of the realm and senior officer of the Exchequer.
Constable - An officer of high rank in medieval monarchies, usually the commander of all armed forces, especially in the absence of the ruler. the keeper or governor of a royal fortress or castle. An officer of a hundred in medieval England, originally responsible for raising the military levy but later assigned other administrative duties
Master of the Horse - The third official of the royal household. The master of the horse is the third dignitary ofthe court, and was always a member of the ministry (before 1782 the office was of cabinet rank), a peer and a privy councilor. All matters connected with the horses and formerly also the hounds of the sovereign, as well as the stables and coach houses, thestud, mews and previously the kennels, are within his jurisdiction. The practical management of the Royal Stables and stud devolves on the chief or Crown Equerry,formerly called the Gentleman of the Horse, whose appointment was always permanent.
Almoner - A person whose function or duty is the distribution of alms on behalf of an institution, a royal personage, a monastery, etc.Butler The chief male servant of a household, usually in charge of serving food, the care of silverware, etc. a male servant having charge of the wines and liquors.
Cofferer - One who keeps treasures in a coffer. a coffer is a box or chest, especially one for valuables.
Cup-Bearer - A servant who fills and serves wine cups, as in a royal palace or at an elaborate banquet.
Dapifer - One who brings meat to the table; hence, in some countries, the official title of the grandmaster or steward of the king's or a nobleman's household.
Doorward - Was an office in medieval Scotland whose holders, eventually hereditary, had the theoretical responsibility of being warden of the king's door, i.e. protecting the king's property.
Falconer - A person who hunts with falcons or follows the sport of hawking. a person who trains hawks for hunting.
Gentleman of the Bedchamber - A Gentleman of the Bedchamber was the holder of an important office in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. The duties of the office involved waiting on the king when he ate in private, helping him to dress, guarding the bedchamber and closet, and providing companionship
Gentleman Usher - The Gentlemen Ushers occupied a level intermediate between the steward, the usual head, and the ordinary servants; they were responsible for overseeing the work of the servants "above stairs", particularly those who cooked and waited upon the nobleman atmeals, and saw to it the great chamber was kept clean by the lesser servants. He was also responsible for overseeing other miscellaneous service, such as the care of the nobleman's chapel and bed-chambers. It was traditionally the gentleman usher who swore in new members of the nobleman's service.
Grandmaster - The head of a military order of knighthood. A person at the highest level of ability or achievement in any field
Grand Master of the Hunt - Responsible for organizing hunts and guarding royal forests against poachers.
Groom of the Stool - The Groom of the Stool (formally styled: "Groom of the King's Close Stool to King(name)") was the most intimate of a monarch's courtiers, whose physical intimacy naturally led to him becoming a man in whom much confidence was placed by his royal master, and with whom many royal secrets were shared as a matter of course. This secret information he was privy to, whilst it would never have been revealed, to the discredit of his honor, in turn led to him becoming feared and respected and therefore powerful within the royal court in his own right
Herald - A royal or official messenger. In the Middle Ages, it was a herald who arranged tournaments and other functions, announced challenges, marshaled combatants, etc., and who was later employed also to arrange processions, funerals, etc., and to regulate the use of armorial bearings.
Pursuivant - A heraldic officer of the lowest class, ranking below a herald. An official attendant on heralds
Intendant of the Civil List - The Intendant of the King's Civil List is responsible for managing the material, financial and human resources of the King's Household. He is assisted by the Commandant of the Royal Palaces, the Treasurer of the King's Civil List and the Civil List Adviser. The Intendant of the Civil List also advises the King in the field of energy, sciences and culture and administers the King's hunting rights.
Jester - A professional fool or clown at medieval court.
Keeper of the Seal - The title Keeper of the Seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the Great Seal of a given country.
King of Arms - A title of certain of the principal heralds of England and certain other kingdoms empowered by their sovereigns to grant armorial bearings.
Knight - The warrior (on retainer) who owed military service to his lord in exchange for payment of money, titles, and/or fief (land). Knights also aspired to the ideals of loyalty,generosity and courtesy, known as chivalry.
Lady-in-Waiting - A lady who is in attendance upon a queen or princess.
Maid of Honor - An unmarried lady attending a queen or princess.
Majordomo - A man in charge of a great household, as that of a sovereign; a chief steward.
Page - A boy servant or attendant (as young as age 7) given to a knight to be trained for knighthood. Generally the son of nobility.
Pantler - The servant or officer, in a great family, who has charge of the bread and the pantry.
Seneschal - An officer having full charge of domestic arrangements, ceremonies, the administration of justice, etc., in the household of a medieval prince or dignitary; steward.
Squire - At 13 or 14 pages became squires and began to practice fighting on horseback. Squiresserved as assistants to knights both in the castle and on the battlefield. At 21 a squirecould become a knight himself, kneeling before the lord of the manor to be "dubbed" on the shoulder with a sword.
Standard Bearer - An officer or soldier of an army or military unit who bears a standard. A standard-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem called an ensign or standard, i.e.either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honored)as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc.
Steward - The man responsible for running the day-to-day affairs of the castle when the lord was absent. The steward organized farm work and kept accounts of the estate’s money. Stewards were well-paid, powerful figures in the district."House guardian," "overseer of workmen, " "one who manages affairs of an estate on behalf of his employer" a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others. a person who has charge of the household of another, buying or obtaining food, directing the servants, etc.