Sue <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Actually, I think the man is only allowed to kiss her hand if she first presents her hand.Sue Shatto [EMAIL PROTECTED] 401 Fairview Ave. Frederick, MD 21701 www.victorianmillinery.com 301-694-8950 Comment Gentles of The List What a fascinating series of questions this thread raises for our discussion and learning! We do know that it was proper etiquette to expect to "kiss the Rings" of our own temporal Rulers, of all Princes of the Church and other Lords Spiritual [Cardinals, Archibishops, and Bishops - and therfore our Religious Superiors], during the medieval Period. I am sure the ring-hand had to be offered first, though, and it was an expected gesture of submissive respect. So there was no point in offering your Ring of Office to be kissed by anyone who was not your Subject, Liegeman, or spiritual Inferior, and thus unlikely to naturally aquiesce to this mark of Respect. An Ambassador might bow before a Foreign Ruler on being Presented, but - not being a Subject of said Ruler, and being already Liege-sworn to his Own Overlord - would the Diplomat kiss the Ring of Office of a foreign Lord Temporal? I think perhaps not. The kissing of Ladies hands, though - ...? When did the custom begin? Did this originate with the French Courts Of Love in Provence? Since I re-enact a Senior King's Officer of the late 15th Century, I, too would be most interested to be enlightened as to the minutiƦ of this custom. My Persona had no Social Equals in Jersey, as King's Governor, even the 5 Hauts Seigneurs ranking below the Governor in Precedence, - but might well have been "courtly enough" to, at the least, "bow-over" the hands of local- or visitng- high-born Ladies, out of Chivalry, and respect to their Femininity and noble Birth. Does any Lister know of this subject being mentioned in sufficient detail to enlighten us further, in any medieval Book about Courtly etiquette?
Yours in Service, Matthew ["Messire Matthew Baker", Governor & Castellan of Jersey, 1486-1497: Motto - "Si vis pacem, para bellum" (Trans:-"if you wish for Peace, prepare for War") ] aka. - Julian Wilson, - late-medieval Re-enactor; Herald, Historian, & Master Artisan to "The Companie of the Duke's Leopards", [the Island of "olde" Jersey's only mediƦval living-history Group] Meet us at < www.dukesleopards.org >" [input] - --------------------------------- Win a BlackBerry device from O2 with Yahoo!. Enter now. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume