ABSTRACT
Any study of monarchy and courtly culture is incomplete without a study of princely kinship networks – a sun without its satellites. This chapter will look at the evolution, frustrations and strategies of various royal dynasties in early modern Europe through the lens of the wider family (siblings, cousins), examining their ritualistic and practical placement and functions in the court hierarchy and the wider royal dynasty. In a comparative sense, we can see how younger brothers of kings struggled to maintain their independence while also serving the head of their house as monarch, and strategies were made to accommodate cadet branches (princes of the blood) in France, or Denmark, or cousins from other dynasties who may be potential heirs. As monarchies across Europe became increasingly centralised, successful strategies accommodated the need for maintaining the princely status of these cadets and cousins.
