In the
Middle Ages, a ''familiaris'' (plural ''familiares''), more formally a ''familiaris regis'' ("familiar of the king") or ''familiaris curiae''
[In medieval documents, ''curiae'' may also be spelled ''curiæ'' or ''curie''.] ("of the court"), was, in the words of the historian
W. L. Warren
Wilfred Lewis Warren (24 August 1929 – 19 July 1994) was an historian of medieval England. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he worked as a professor of modern (post-Classical antiquity, classical) Post-classical history, history and dean of th ...
, "an intimate, a familiar resident or visitor in the
oyalhousehold, a member of the ''familia'', that wider family which embraces servants, confidents, and close associates." Warren adds that the term "defies adequate translation", but is distinct from
courtier, "for the king employed his ''familiares'' on a variety of administrative tasks."
The ''familiares'' of a king are collectively referred to as the ''familia regis'', which evolved into a private royal council—in
England during the reign of
Henry III (1216–72) and in
France during that of
Philip V (1316–22). In England, it was known as the ''concilium familiare'' or ''concilium privatum'' (
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
) and in France as the ''magnum consilium'' (great council, the ''
Conseil du Roi''). The ''familiares regis'' may have already formed an inner royal council in
Sicily during the reign of
Roger II (1130–54).
Notes
Sources
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*
*
*
Further reading
*Bournazel, Eric. ''Le Gouvernement Capétien au XII
e siècle, 1108–1180: Structures sociales et mutations institutionelles''. Paris: 1975.
*
Chalandon, F. ''Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et Sicile''. 2 vols. Paris: 1907.
*
Chibnall, M. "Mercenaries and the ''Familia regis'' under Henry I". ''History'' 62 (1977), 15–23.
*Garufi, C. A. "Sull'ordinamento amministrativo normanno in Sicilia, Exchiquier o diwan? Studi storico diplomatici". ''Archivio storico italiano'', 5th series, 27 (1901), 225–63.
*Green, Judith A. ''The Government of England under Henry I''. Cambridge: 1986.
*
Hollister, C. W. ''The Military Organization of Norman England''. Oxford: 1965.
*Jolliffe, J. E. A. ''Angevin Kingship''. New York: 1955.
*Olivier-Martin, François. ''Histoire du droit français des origines à la Révolution''. 2nd ed. Paris: 1951.
*
Warren, W. L. ''Henry II''. Berkeley: 1973.
*Warren, W. L. ''The Governance of Norman and Angevin England, 1086–1272''. London: 1987.
{{refend
Medieval occupations