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3 - Court Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2022

By
Angela Hug ,
Benjamin Kelly  and
Neil W. Bernstein
Edited by
Benjamin Kelly  and
Angela Hug
Benjamin Kelly
Affiliation:
York University, Toronto
Angela Hug
Affiliation:
York University, Toronto
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Summary

The selection of literary, epigraphic, and papyrological sources presented in this chapter illustrates the key categories of courtier at the Roman imperial court, and the relationships of courtiers with each other and with the emperor. Categories of courtier include: the emperor’s friends (amici principis); his advisors; poets, writers, and other cultural figures; members of the imperial family; domestic workers; astrologers; the emperor’s sexual partners; and foreign royals. Various themes relating to the emperor’s relationships run through the sources, including: the tensions between ideals and realities; the competing claims of independence and subservience; the instability of court hierarchy; the operation of influence, brokerage, and patronage; the existence of power groups and factions at court; and the consequences of relationship breakdowns between emperors and courtiers.

Keywords

Amicipoetswritersfamilyslavesfreedmenservantsforeign royalsastrologerssexual partners
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Chapter
Information
The Roman Emperor and his Court c. 30 BC–c. AD 300 , pp. 79 - 131
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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