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  • 3 - Court Relationships

  • Edited by Benjamin Kelly, York University, Toronto, Angela Hug, York University, Toronto
  • Book:
    The Roman Emperor and his Court c. 30 BC–c. AD 300
    Published online:
    29 September 2022
    Print publication:
    20 October 2022, pp 79-131

  • 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.