Lady-in-waiting

The dignity of a maid of honor, also known as maid of honor or court lady, was awarded the belonging to a court noble ladies due to their level, or level of her husband.

Ladies were doing honor services and acted as companions. Such court offices were held only by hoffähigen nobles. In contrast about the maid they were not court officials in Europe. As a male equivalent of the maid of honor, the Knight - and later the Chamberlain - are considered.

Both stands were probably already with the first strong princes and royal courts in appearance. The first written records for this social status are over 3000 years old, for example in Egypt (see Nefertiti ) or in Chinese and in the Persian Empire.

Among the people in the royal courts were always look for artistically talented personalities. Well documented is the work of the minstrel, but also some works of court ladies are world literature. A Far Eastern example of this is the classic Japanese novel Genji Monogatari ( The Story of the [ Prince ] Genji ), written by Murasaki Shikibu, the maid of honor to the Empress to the year 1000.

Examples of known ladies

  • Elizabeth Throckmorton (1565-1647), maid of honor of Elizabeth I, Queen of England
  • Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744), maid of honor of Princess Anne, later Queen Anne
  • Charlotte von Stein (1742-1827), maid of honor of the Duchess Amalia
  • Louise of Sturmfeder (1789-1866), maid of honor of Empress Dowager Karoline Auguste, Mother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria and his brother Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
  • Julia Hauke ​​(1825-1895), maid of honor of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, Princess of Hesse- Darmstadt
  • Marie Festetics (1839-1923), maid of honor of Empress Elisabeth of Austria - Hungary
  • Marie Redwitz (1856-1933), maid of honor of the Duchess Amalie in Bavaria and writer
  • Sophie Chotková (1868-1914), maid of honor of Archduchess Isabella of Croy - Dülmen
  • Anna Vyrubova (1884-1964), maid of honor of the last Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
Hyphoraia aulica Gu Kaizhi Nobility Chamberlain (office) Early Middle Japanese Louise von Sturmfeder Princess Julia of Battenberg Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse and by Rhine)
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