| |
Appanage — is the grant of an estate, title, office, or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. Typically, in France it passed through the male line and when the male line failed, it returned to the royal demesne.
Bard — the bard is the term for a complete set of horse armor.
Chanfron — armor designed was designed to protect the horse's face. Sometimes this included hinged cheek plates. A decorative feature common to many chanfrons is a rondel with a small spike.
Cloth of estate — is a canopy-like arrangement of precious fabric above and behind a throne or dais.
Codpiece — (from Middle English: cod, meaning "scrotum") is a covering flap or pouch that attaches to the front of the crotch of men's trousers, enclosing the genital area.
Compline — end of the day, traditionally 9:00 p.m.
Dame d’atour — was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. The dame d’atour was selected from the members of the highest French nobility.
Denier — or penny was a medieval coin which takes its name from the Frankish coin first issued in the late seventh century.
Étrenne — the practice of seasonal gift giving on New Year’s Day and the gifts in the ceremonial exchange; the word is derived from the Latin word strena.
Estates General — in France under the Ancien Regime the Estates General was a legislative and consultative assembly of the different classes (or estates) of French subjects. It had a separate assembly for each of the three estates (clergy, nobility, and commoners), which were called and dismissed by the king.
Fleur de lys — translated from French as ‘lily flower’ is a stylized design of either an iris or a lily that is now used purely decoratively as well as symbolically, or it may be "at one and the same time political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic and symbolic," especially in heraldry. It is particularly associated with the ancient regime French monarchy.
Gouvernante — the Governess of the royal children, recruited from the high nobility, oversees the education of the children of the royal couple, including the Dauphin. She is sometimes assisted by deputy governors. While the girls remained attached to the Queen's House, it was customary for princes raised by female governors to "pass to men" at the age of seven (the age of reason at the time) and to be placed in the care of a governor assisted by a deputy governor.
Grand Maître de Menu Plaisirs — The Controller of the Menus Plaisirs heard directly from the king what the plans for the king’s personal entertainment were to be set in motion; by long-standing convention, he was a duke; although he was not a professional, it was up to him to determine how to carry out these plans. The duke in charge of the Menus and Pleasures of the King was an important official of the court.
Humors — The humors were part of an ancient theory that held that health came from balance between the bodily liquids. These liquids were termed humors. The Four Humors were blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.
Italian disease — Syphilis, introduced into Europe in the late 15th century. Its source is unknown, but it became rampant in 1494/95 after the start of the French-Italian wars. Known by various names, in Italy it was called the French disease and in France it was called the Italian disease. There was no known cure, though it was treated with mercury, it raced through the infected individual causing great pain. It was usually fatal.
Houppelande — an outer garment, with a long, full body and flaring sleeves, sometimes lined with fur.
King of Arms — The Ranking Herald. In France, A College of Heralds was organized in 1407, about the same time as in England it seems. It consisted of pursuivants, heralds and 12 kings of arms, chief among them Montjoye, followed in rank by Anjou. In the 16th century a number of kings of arms (Valois, Champagne, Dauphin, Normandie) and heralds (Guyenne, Angoulême, Lorraine, Orléans) were on the king's payroll and sent for diplomatic missions abroad.
Lauds — early morning, traditionally 3:00 a.m.
Matins — nighttime, traditionally 12:00 a.m.
Monthly flowers — menses or menstrual period.
Montjoie Saint Denis — was the battle cry and motto of the Kingdom of France. It allegedly referred to Charlemagne's legendary banner, the Oriflamme, which was also known as the "Montjoie" and was kept at the Abbey of Saint Denis.
Night rail — the former term for nightgown.
Nones — the ninth hour, traditionally 3:00 p.m.
Prie-dieu — a piece of furniture for use during prayer, consisting of a kneeling surface and a narrow upright front with a rest for the elbows or for books.
Parlement — the most powerful was the Parlement of Paris, were judicial organizations consisting of a dozen or more appellate judges. They were the court of final appeal of the judicial system, and typically wielded much power over a wide range of subjects, particularly taxation. Laws and edicts issued by the Crown were not official in their respective jurisdictions until the parlements gave their assent by publishing them. The members were aristocrats called nobles de la robe who had bought or inherited their offices and were independent of the King. However, the king could force the Parlement to publish any law by arriving in person to hold a ‘lit de justice.’
Pillion —a secondary side saddle behind the main saddle on a horse. A passenger in this saddle is said to "ride pillion". The word is derived from the Scottish Gaelic for "little rug," pillean, from the Latin pellis, "animal skin".
Renal stone — Kidney stones. Renes is the Latin word for kidneys. Queen Anne is believed to have died from severe kidney disease.
Sennight — a week
Sext — noon, traditionally 12:00 p.m.
Scots Guards — was an elite Scottish military unit founded in 1418 to be personal bodyguards to the French monarchy. They were assimilated into the King’s Household and later formed the first company of the Royal Bodyguard. They survived until the end of the Bourbon monarchy.
Tarocchi — are cards for specific card games played with tarot (Italian tarocco, tarocchi) decks, that is, decks with numbered permanent trumps parallel to the suit cards. The basic rules, invented purely for gaming, first appeared in the manuscript of Martiano da Tortona, written before 1425. They became popular in France after 1494, the start of the French-Italian wars.
Terce — the third hour, traditionally 9:00 a.m.
Vespers — sunset, evening, traditionally 6:00 p.m.