Court officials of the Kingdom of Navarre
Encyclopedia
The court officials of the Kingdom of Navarre
, five in number, were in charge of the smooth functioning of various aspects of the royal court at Pamplona
. In the tenth and eleventh centuries these officials were often the youthful sons of the high nobility, for whom a period at court served as an education. Officials were often rotated, but rarely can their dates of appointment be determined precisely. Rather they are known from the official Latin
titles by which they were known in royal charter
s, to which they often appeared as witnesses. While earlier officials tended to move on to inherit lordships and leave court, in the late eleventh century individuals appear in the same office for longer periods of time and may have been appointed for life.
The chronological lists below are not exhaustive, since there exist large gaps in the historical record. The Latin title connected to an office could vary. Instances where the same official bore a different title are noted, as are the dates of the atypical charters.
In 1362 the court officials of Charles II
were the butler (botellero), herald (maestro de escudería), chamberlain (chambarlen), chamber clerk (clérigo de cámara), majordomo (maestre hostal), chaplains (capellanes), chef (maestro de cocina), forrero, escudero de la forrería, cup-bearer (chanzón del hostal), treasurer (cambradineros or tesorero), butcher (escudero trinchant), confessor (confesor), pages (pajes), equerry (paloafrenero mayor y guarda de los caballos mayores), and grooms (palafreneros). The office of constable (condestable, from connestable, originally comte d'estable) was brought over from France.
(Latin pincerna, architriclinus, or propinator) was the official in charge of keeping the royal court fed. Like the office of majordomo this one may have been rotational.
(Latin botellarius or botecarius) was the official in charge of the wine cellar
, much like a modern wine steward. One butler held the post of majordomo simultaneously, as evidenced by a charter of 1072. There is no direct evidence in the charter record of rotation of this office, but several individuals appear to have been both butler and cup-bearer at different times.
(Latin armiger or armentarius) was in charge of the royal armoury
and possibly also the king's guard. The connexion with weaponry is visible in the list of synonyms for this term, all of which contain the Latin root fer-, signifying iron: alferiz, fertorarius, inferartis, and offertor. This office changed hands with higher frequencey than the others, and there is also evidence of rotation. It is the only office for which two officers are cited in the same charter: Fortún Jiménez and Ortí Ortiz were both inferartes in a charter of 1043.
(Latin stabularius) had charge of the royal stable
s. While there is no direct evidence of rotation in this office, no individual held it for more than three years.
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
, five in number, were in charge of the smooth functioning of various aspects of the royal court at Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
. In the tenth and eleventh centuries these officials were often the youthful sons of the high nobility, for whom a period at court served as an education. Officials were often rotated, but rarely can their dates of appointment be determined precisely. Rather they are known from the official Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
titles by which they were known in royal charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
s, to which they often appeared as witnesses. While earlier officials tended to move on to inherit lordships and leave court, in the late eleventh century individuals appear in the same office for longer periods of time and may have been appointed for life.
The chronological lists below are not exhaustive, since there exist large gaps in the historical record. The Latin title connected to an office could vary. Instances where the same official bore a different title are noted, as are the dates of the atypical charters.
In 1362 the court officials of Charles II
Charles II of Navarre
Charles II , called "Charles the Bad", was King of Navarre 1349-1387 and Count of Évreux 1343-1387....
were the butler (botellero), herald (maestro de escudería), chamberlain (chambarlen), chamber clerk (clérigo de cámara), majordomo (maestre hostal), chaplains (capellanes), chef (maestro de cocina), forrero, escudero de la forrería, cup-bearer (chanzón del hostal), treasurer (cambradineros or tesorero), butcher (escudero trinchant), confessor (confesor), pages (pajes), equerry (paloafrenero mayor y guarda de los caballos mayores), and grooms (palafreneros). The office of constable (condestable, from connestable, originally comte d'estable) was brought over from France.
Majordomo
The majordomo (Latin maior domus) was the chief officer of the court, who oversaw all the other officers. The office may have been held on a rotational basis, since several officials appear in and out of office. One majordomo held the post of butler simultaneously, as evidenced by a charter of 1072.| Name | First record in office | Final record in office | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gómez Auréliez | 952 | 959 | Maior domus |
| Gómez | 992 | 992 | Maior domus |
| García Sánchez | 996 | 996 | Maior domus |
| Lope Sánchez | 1011 | 1024 | Maior domus |
| Lope López | 1015 | 1015 | Maior domus |
| Gómez Sánchez | 1018 | 1033 | Maior domus |
| Álvaro Fortúnez | 1040 | 1042 | Maior domus |
| Galindo Iñíguez | 1042 | 1042 | Maior domus, Maior quoquorum |
| Fortún Velásquez | 1047 | 1047 | Maior domus |
| Jimeno Manciónez | 1054 | 1060 | Maior domus |
| Íñigo Sánchez | 1056 | 1066 | Maior domus |
| García Iñíguez | 1063 | 1064 | Maior domus |
| García Fortúnez | 1071 | 1073 | Maior domus |
| Lope Velásquez | 1072 | 1076 | Maior domus, also Botellarius |
| Velasco García | 1078 | 1087 | Maior domus |
Cup-bearer
The cup-bearerCup-bearer
A cup-bearer was an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty it was to serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues, a person must be regarded as thoroughly trustworthy to hold this position. He must guard against poison in the king's cup, and...
(Latin pincerna, architriclinus, or propinator) was the official in charge of keeping the royal court fed. Like the office of majordomo this one may have been rotational.
| Name | First record in office | Final record in office | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortún Jiménez | 956 | 956 | Pincerna |
| Sancho Fortúnez | 997 | 997 | Architriclinus |
| Aurelio Sánchez | 1018 | 1031 | Architriclinus |
| García Sánchez | 1024 | 1024 | Architriclinus |
| Galindo López | 1040 | 1040 | Pincerna |
| Íñigo López | 1042 | 1042 | Architriclinus |
| Fortún Iñíguez | 1063 | 1066 | Pincerna |
| Lope Iñíguez | 1063 | 1063 | Pincerna |
| Sancho Aznárez | 1068 | 1072 | Pincerna, Propinator (1072) |
| García Fortúnez | 1071 | 1071 | Pincerna |
Butler
The butlerButler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
(Latin botellarius or botecarius) was the official in charge of the wine cellar
Wine cellar
A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae or plastic containers. In an active wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control system. In contrast, passive wine cellars are not...
, much like a modern wine steward. One butler held the post of majordomo simultaneously, as evidenced by a charter of 1072. There is no direct evidence in the charter record of rotation of this office, but several individuals appear to have been both butler and cup-bearer at different times.
| Name | First record in office | Final record in office | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lope Iñíguez | 1011 | 1020 | Botellarius |
| Aznar Fortúnez | 1015 | 1015 | Botellarius |
| Sancho Jiménez | 1033 | 1033 | Botellarius |
| Jimeno Sánchez | 1040 | 1040 | Botellarius |
| Velasco García | 1056 | 1064 | Botellarius |
| Lope Muñoz | 1066 | 1072 | Botellarius |
| Lope Velásquez | 1072 | 1072 | Botellarius, Botecarius, also Maior domus |
| Sancho Sánchez | 1078 | 1087 | Botellarius |
Armour-Bearer
The armour-bearerArmour-Bearer
The Armour-Bearer is one of the Great Offices of the Royal Household in Scotland.James IV granted the office of Armour-Bearer and Squire of His Majesty's Body to Sir Alexander Seton of Tullibody. This grant, apparently dating from 1488, was renewed by Charles II in 1651 to Sir Alexander's...
(Latin armiger or armentarius) was in charge of the royal armoury
Armory (military)
An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
and possibly also the king's guard. The connexion with weaponry is visible in the list of synonyms for this term, all of which contain the Latin root fer-, signifying iron: alferiz, fertorarius, inferartis, and offertor. This office changed hands with higher frequencey than the others, and there is also evidence of rotation. It is the only office for which two officers are cited in the same charter: Fortún Jiménez and Ortí Ortiz were both inferartes in a charter of 1043.
| Name | First record in office | Final record in office | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortún Jiménez | 959 | 959 | Armiger |
| Galindo Gómez | 1030 | 1030 | Armentarius |
| Fortún Jiménez | 1043 | 1043 | Inferartis |
| Ortí Ortiz | 1043 | 1043 | Inferartis |
| Galindo López | 1044 | 1044 | Offertor |
| Lope García | 1058 | 1058 | Alferiz |
| Lope García | 1060 | 1060 | Armiger |
| Jimeno García | 1062 | 1064 | Armiger |
| Fortún Iñíguez | 1063 | 1063 | Fertorarius |
| Lope Iñíguez | 1063 | 1064 | Fertorarius |
| Fortún Iñíguez | 1063 | 1063 | Fertorarius |
| García Fortúnez | 1065 | 1071 | Offertor, Fertorarius (1068), Tallator (1068–69) |
| Pedro García | 1066 | 1072 | Armiger |
| Lope Iñíguez | 1066 | 1066 | Offertor |
| Íñigo Sánchez | 1072 | 1072 | Alferiz |
| Fortún Iñíguez | 1072 | 1087 | Armiger |
| Íñigo Sánchez | 1072 | 1076 | Armiger |
| Sancho García | 1072 | 1075 | Offertor |
Marshal
The marshalMarshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
(Latin stabularius) had charge of the royal stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s. While there is no direct evidence of rotation in this office, no individual held it for more than three years.
| Name | First record in office | Final record in office | Title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| García Auréliez | 957 | 959 | Stabularius |
| Fortún Jiménez | 992 | 992 | Stabularius |
| Lope Iñíguez | 996 | 996 | Stabularius |
| García Sánchez | 997 | 997 | Stabularius |
| Jimeno Fortúnez | 1020 | 1020 | Stabularius |
| Sancho Datiz | 1042 | 1043 | Stabularius |
| García García | 1058 | 1062 | Stabularius |
| García Sánchez | 1063 | 1064 | Stabularius |
| Fortún Álvarez | 1066 | 1066 | Stabularius |
| Lope Sánchez | 1068 | 1070 | Stabularius |
| Lope Vélaz | 1071 | 1072 | Stabularius |
| García Fortúnez | 1072 | 1072 | Stabularius |
| Lope Iñíguez | 1072 | 1075 | Stabularius |
| Sancho García | 1087 | 1090 | Stabularius |
Sources
- Charles Cawley. 2008. Nobility of Navarre: Introduction at the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy's Medieval Lands Project.