Re: (TFT) Worldbuilding question

[ErolB1@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/25/2004 1:29:09 AM Central Daylight Time, 
rsmith@lightspeed.ca writes:

>    Typically there would be squires, ladies in
> waiting and other people of noble class who are living
> there for a time to bind families together and learn
> courtly graces.  Families would try to get their 
> teenagers to live with other noble families (especially
> ones with higher status) to finish them and to give 
> them chances for courtship with approved families.

Good point, and something I'll have to think about. 

>    There may be seneschal, an often noble born 
> officer who acts as manager of the lords estates, chief
> accountant and the right hand man of the lord.

That would come under the rural lords I mentioned, I think, and not be part 
of the "royal" court. 
 
>    Often a Castillian would be in charge of a 
> local fort and would have a number of assistants that
> ran the towns under his command.

What I've got are *small* kingdoms, each with ONE (1) town of 2000-2500 
population. It sounds to me like you're imagining much larger kingdoms of 5-10 
times the size of mine. 

>> - A "town watch" of 4-6 men
>
>    This seems low.  I would expect a guard for every
>100 to 200 people in the town.

I'm basing it on the modern US figure of 1 policeman per ~500 population. But 
there would be private guards as well. In fact, I could make a case against 
having any "official" town watch at all. 

>> - A "Royal Guard" also of 4-6 men - these will be elite fighters who serve 
as 
>> the ruler's bodyguards. (Sort of a miniaturized version of the King's 
>> Musketeers.) 
>
>    Again this seems low for a city state with 20,000
>or more people.

I based this more or less on proportions: 17th century France, population on 
the order of 10 million, elite guard force of 200-300. Scale this down to a 
city state of 20,000-30,000...

>    LOTS more servants:  Stewards, Chamberlain, Equerry, 
>Priests, Falconer, Kennelsman, Master Huntsman, Executioner,
>Doctors, surgeons, Gardeners, Cooks, Baker, Grooms, Dairymen,
>Poultrymen, Carpenters, tinkers, potters, stonemasons, 
>Weavers, Forester game warden, etc, etc.  Most of these would
>have assistants, (often young people).

>    Lords liked to have many servitors partly because of
>the status of supporting many people and partly because this
>increased the independence and profitability of their estates.

Yes, but there's a warm-body problem: What's the total size of all the 
households of the people attending the royal court? 

A more general question: What proportion of the total population were 
servants, historically? (e.g. in the 15-17th centuries) Not just of courtiers, but of 
the rich merchants & wealthier craftsmen as well? 

(Also, a lot of the servant types you mention would be people back on the 
rural estates, rather than the people attending m'lord in town while he made his 
apparence in the royal court.)

Erol K. Bayburt
Evil Genius for a Better Tomorrow
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