ABSTRACT
The great magnate of late medieval England was not just a warrior and a politician, he also stood at the head of a vast business empire. Directly or indirectly, he employed thousands of people, enjoyed the ability to make or break the careers of those who served him, and exercised powers of management over all aspects of his empire. His essential commodity, and chief source of both authority and income, was land. His principal expense was his lifestyle, and at the centre of his lifestyle was his household. The size, splendour and cost of noble households is testimony to one of the most striking differences between medieval and modern society, that is, the extent to which the public and private lives of medieval people were interwoven, and this is especially true of the great. Constantly surrounded by servants and companions, constantly mixing business with pleasure, the medieval noble was hardly ever actually alone, or even alone with his wife and children.
