Rises and falls of favourites Favourite

the duke of buckingham rubens

favourites inevitably tended incur envy , loathing of rest of nobility, , monarchs obliged political pressure dismiss or execute them; in middle ages nobles rebelled in order seize , kill favourite. close relationship between monarch , favourite seen breach of natural order , hierarchy of society. since many favourites had flamboyant over-reaching personalities, led way own downfall rash behaviour. opinions of gentry , bourgeoisie grew in importance, disliked favourites. dislike classes intense in case of favourites elevated humble, or @ least minor, backgrounds royal favour. titles , estates given lavishly favourites, compared mushrooms because sprang overnight, bed of excrement. king s favourite piers gaveston night-grown mushrump (mushroom) enemies in christopher marlowe s edward ii.

their falls more sudden, after 1650, executions tended give way quiet retirement. favourites came higher nobility, such leicester, lerma, olivares, , oxenstierna, less resented , lasted longer. successful minister-favourites needed networks of own favourites , relatives them carry out work of government – richelieu had créatures , olivares hechuras . oxenstierna , william cecil, both died in office, trained sons succeed them.

the favourite can not distinguished successful royal administrator, @ top of tree needed favour of monarch, term used of first came contact monarch through social life of court, rather business of politics or administration. figures william cecil , jean-baptiste colbert, accelerated rise through administrative ranks owed personal relations monarch, did not attempt behave grandees of nobility, successful. elizabeth had cecil secretary of state , later lord high treasurer time ascended throne in 1558 until death 40 years later. had more colourful relationships several courtiers; lasting , intimate 1 robert dudley, earl of leicester, leading politician. in last decade position of cecils, father , son, challenged robert devereux, 2nd earl of essex, when fatally attempted coup against younger cecil.

cardinal wolsey 1 figure rose through administrative hierarchy, lived extremely ostentatiously, before falling power. in middle ages in particular, many royal favourites promoted in church, english examples including saints dunstan , thomas becket; bishops william waynflete, robert burnell , walter reynolds. cardinal granvelle, father, trusted habsburg minister lived grandly, not favourite, partly because of career spent away monarch.

some favourites came humble backgrounds: archibald armstrong, jester james of england infuriated else @ court managed retire wealthy man; unlike robert cochrane, stonemason (probably senior one, more architect artisan) became earl of mar before scottish nobles revolted against him, , hanged him , other low-born favourites of james iii of scotland. olivier le daim, barber of louis xi, acquired title , important military commands before executed on vague charges brought nobles shortly after master died, without knowledge of new king. has been claimed le daim s career origin of term, favori (the french word) first appeared around time of death in 1484. privado in spanish older, later partly replaced term valido; in spanish, both terms less derogatory in french , english.

such rises menial positions became progressively harder centuries progressed; 1 of last families able jump widening chasm between servants , nobility of louis xiv s valet, alexandre bontemps, descendants, holding office further 3 generations, married many great families, including extended royal family itself. queen victoria s john brown came late; devotion of monarch , ability terrorize household led hardly rise in social or economic position.