Cultural, Material and Sensory Experiences at European Courts, c. 1200-1800

The field of court studies has increasingly examined the ways in which court cultures developed through the interplay between actors, institutions, and events. Yet, within court studies, how the material or sensorial elements impacted courtly experiences is underexplored. The consideration of various human interactions with their physical courtly environments emphasises not only how exceptional moments were described and felt at court, but also the everyday realities of life at the court for members, visitors and servants, including how the material and sensory encounters that took place at the court were created, managed, shaped and experienced.

Divided into 4 thematic sections, the collection encourages readers to think about the boundaries of courtly interactions and the various forms of courtly experiences of both men and women in new ways. The contributions are situated within the medieval and early modern period (1200-1800) and present a good geographic scope, including courts in Portugal, Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden, Italy, Luxembourg, the Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Hungary and France.

Section 1 focuses on architectural and environmental spaces that facilitated courtly experiences including palaces, gardens and hunting grounds. Section 2 highlights the role that objects, artwork and colours played in characterising and shaping the various encounters at court. Building on the spatial and material aspects of the court, section 3 explores the sound and soundscapes of court settings that defined the identity of courtly figures and the ceremonial events at court. Finally, section 4 demonstrates categories of cultural courtly experiences – from courts on the move, expression of emotions, and interactions that cultivated cultural and intellectual transfer.

The collection offers interdisciplinary interpretations that urge us to reassesses not only how European courts cultures developed, but also how they were understood, lived and experienced. The contributions make us reconsider present-day understandings of the varied human experience and how these experiences influenced relationships, politics, and sociability within court cultures. Thus, the publication will fertilize the grounds for a discussion about the past and future of court studies research.

Dustin M. Neighbors, University of Helsinki, Finland; Patrik Pastrnak, Paladký Olomouc University, Czechia.