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Careers at the royal household of Stephen Báthory: towards professional courtiers?

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Kadzik D.

Mediaevalia Historica Bohemica

2024

vol. 27

issue 1

125-148

The royal household in the early modern period is perceived as a place where one could build a spectacular career and even as a tool used by the ruler to reward his supporters. This perspective is often associated with the broader issue of career progression in the state in the 16th and 17th centuries. Numerous examples can be cited to support this thesis; however, it seems that an exception to this rule was the Polish royal household after 1572. The aim of this article is to analyse courtly careers during the reign of Stephen Báthory (1576–1586) in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Rather than a case study, which can often lead to misleading conclusions, this analysis will take a quantitative approach. The results will be compared with the situation at the Jagiellonian court in the 16th century to assess whether a significant change took place after 1572. The case of courtly careers during Báthory’s reign may serve as an argument in favour of the thesis of professionalization— a form of professionalization of court positions—where courtiers and court servants did not view their roles as mere stepping stones in building their careers but rather as ends in themselves, serving as a means of securing a stable income. So far, such a claim has been made in relation to the royal household of Sigismund III Vasa at the beginning of the 17th century.

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1 Mediaevalia Historica Bohemica

1 Kadzik D.

1 2024

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Careers at the royal household of Stephen Báthory: towards professional courtiers?