ABSTRACT
Early modern courts were dynamic social and political institutions that were hierarchical in nature and structure. The social and political apex of each court featured a noble ruler and his family who were supported and aided by a host of advisors, bureaucrats, lesser peers, and servants. The court was the central institution of the early modern state. One very prominent and influential historian of early modern courts, Norbert Elias, focused especially on the concepts of civility and etiquette as both the measure and the method by which courtiers could demonstrate and represent their social status and prestige within a competitive court hierarchy. Within court society, a man’s choice of words, his table manners, and his facility in making conversation were all serious matters. While it certainly served the personal interests of a riding- and stable-master like Loehneysen to stress the importance of equestrian skill as essential to life at court, his view is corroborated by abundant historical and cultural evidence.
