State of the Field: Royal Studies and Court Studies

Abstract

Monarchy, as the world's oldest and most enduring form of political organization, is an area that has attracted the attention of scholars from a range of disciplines. Two connected and complementary fields embody this interdisciplinary study of monarchy and monarchies: royal studies, which takes an all-encompassing approach to monarchy, and court studies, which focuses on the mechanisms of courts and the courtiers who inhabited them. This article examines both royal and court studies, exploring the various ideas and approaches which have influenced the development of these entwined fields of study.