Let’s take a moment to talk about one of the most underappreciated geniuses in all of Bleach.
First of all, she was Vice Captain to two certifiable geniuses. Kirio Hikifune and Kisuke Urahara. One joined the Royal Guard, while the other kind of saved the world. I don’t really know the protocol fully, but I feel like if either Hikifune or Urahara had felt she was subpar, they could have got a new VC. The point is girl knows her stuff.
She was the Head Researcher of the SRDI.
She created the Hiyori Super Walker. I guess she learned an inventing thing or two.
Kisuke has entrusted her with sciency things multiple times, the most recent being when he said that Hiyori not only helped to gather the rift energy, but she also did some major purification work on it.
She was co-leader of the Visored (I mean, Shinji can claim leadership all he wants, but Hiyori clearly was also in charge)
She’s super girly (even if she will actually kill you). I mean her zanpaktou has HEARTS ON IT. Also see the hair clips and her cute bath bowl.
She’s been hollowfied and CUT COMPLETELY IN HALF and is still here. She’s pretty tough to get rid of.
Never one to rest on her laurels, somewhere after getting cut in half she learned to shoot A 3 BEAM CERO.
Even while being hollowfied she has the presence of mind to try and protect Shinji from herself (ugh this is so beautiful)
Her eyeliner game is always on point
She’s obviously a strong fighter given that she was primarily in charge of Ichigo’s training.
She sticks to her guns. She doesn’t want to go back to Soul Society, so she doesn’t.
She’s smart enough to know when to help though. She may not like it, but she does it.
Look at her wee droopy shoulders though. :(
She makes the most epic sad faces
Just look at that and tell me it doesn’t hurt you.
I don’t know what the future has in store for Hiyori, but I’m sure she’ll continue being super smart, super sassy, and super cute.
Oh my god the SHADE, the absolute GRUDGE this man holds I AM DECEASED.
You know that amazing Bleach opening from TYBW Cour 2, STARS? (Go watch it here if not, it's SO PRETTY).
The animators legit buried an entire grudge side story of Shinji Hirako's and Mayuri Kurotsuchi's in a scene no more than 2 seconds long and I'm dying because it's so damn funny and there are LAYERS and I didn't expect it to go THAT deep for something you literally have to freeze-frame or you'll miss it.
Hey look, it's Shinji. Doing his thing, standing sideways on a building. Nothing to see here, looking stylish as always.
Oh, the sign is backwards? Yeah, checks out, it's Shinji doing Shinji things...
*squints*
Okay, that's pretty dang funny, Shinji and Mayuri have never gotten along for over a century. Good catch, animators!
"I'll just be friendly to the new guy, might as well..."
Who spit in YOUR Petri dish, buddy?
Ah, a friendship for the ages.
But see, then I was watching the OG Bleach anime and about choked on my soda, because what do I see in episode #289 as an omake?
IT'S DR. MAYURI'S MAGICAL CLINIC. I FORGOT THIS WAS A THING. They even made it a side story in Bleach: Brave Souls (the mobile game).
Anyhoo, guess who testimonial #2 is?
(The Japanese here is "Before treatment" (text on the left), "Case 2" (text on the right), and "This is impossible... the before state" (overlay text). As a side note, katakana is used like italics to emphasize words, so it's not always a loan word when you see it used like this.)
(The Japanese here is "After treatment" (text on the left) "Case 2" (text on the right), "(it turned out) like this!" (overlay text).
So uh, yeah. Mayuri literally used Shinji without permission as a fake testimonial and claimed he'd been a rando Squad 11 guy before his plastic surgery.
Shinji was uh, he was unhappy.
"Have one of those faces that's beyond all hope? Well, hope again!"
"HEY THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN WITH ME!"
This is not just Shinji kicking a sign that happens to be nearby to own that Quincy chick (get your hits in now, buddy), this is Shinji kicking down a sign for a clinic owned by a guy that's annoyed him for over a century AND lied about him having plastic surgery to be sexier.
Episode 289 with the omake aired in 2010.
Bleach TYBW's second season with this opening aired in 2022.
Shinji has been waiting twelve fucking years for this payback lmao and somebody on the animation team loves him veryyyyyy much because he finally got that sweet satisfaction.
I have an... interesting theory about Shinji's fucked up bangs.
The first time we see Shinji with fucked up bangs is when he and the others battle Aizen. (All thanks to Tousen nearly cutting his head off when Shinji aims to attack Aizen.)
In that same arc, Hiyori is very badly injured and it's Shinji we see give the most pained reaction. Him that cries her name a thousand times. Him that holds her body close. Seeing Hiyori that badly hurt does something to him.
When the war ends and we next see Shinji, he is showing off this do...
As oppose to growing his hair out to the lucious beauty it was prior to hollowfication.
Even twelve (12) years later, he cuts his bangs again to look like this.
Is it possible that the reason Shinji keeps his bangs oddly cut is to remind himself of Hiyori's injuries and subsequently remind himself why he rejoined Soul Society?
"Repaying a dept" to Unohana and the Soul Society as well as reclaiming his spot as the 5th division captain.
Something that has been on my mind is if Shinji and Hinamori are capable of forgiving Aizen.
What exactly did Aizen do to them?
1. momo hinamori
This is pretty self-explanatory. He basically manipulated momo into thinking that he was a kind and reliable captain and someone she could look up to and seek comfort. All this, so she would never suspect him when he was scheming behind the scene to betray soul society.
And if that weren't enough, after momo was frantically trying to find his “killer”, he appeared right in front of her: well and alive. And that mentally fucked up momo again. Aizen comforted her before she was stabbed with his sword :/
But when he found out she was still alive, he proceeded to try and kill her again by making her childhood friend stabbed her.
2. Moving on to shinji hirako.
You see, shinji is different. He knew aizen wasn't up to no good and aizen made use of that suspicions. Which resulted in him and his friends becoming hollowfied experiments, aizen taunts Shinji and tells him that the reason why his friends are lying on the floor is because of shinji.
Aizen was going to kill all of them before urahara came in.
But even then, this resulted in them having to run away from soul society: their own home as central 46 were going to “deal with them like how they deal with hollows.”
And during the battle, hiyori was cut in half by gin after aizen tauted her to attack him.
So you can see how Aizen basically ruined both of their lives and betrayed them in very different ways.
Death save the strawberry
this is basically the aftermath of aizen's defeat. Shinji is telling hinamori he is considering taking his old position back. Some very interesting moments that we see is:
Section 1: pg 60-68
1. Shinji telling momo that he should have “killed aizen no matter what it took!”
2. momo then bursts out crying, telling shinji she understands that aizen had betrayed and hurt many people including her. But all the moments that they spend together were some of the happiest and that she looked up to him as a role model.
3. Shinji then agrees with momo and tells her that he “would be lying, if I were to say we didn't have any fun moments. We did indeed have some good times together.”
Section 3: pg 163
1. momo quoting aizen's words and shinji jokingly asks her to say that shinji was the one to say those words of wisdoms instead of aizen.
So it seems that both of them have somewhat recovered from aizen (?). They know that aizen betrayed and lied to them, but at the same time, they remember the good times they had and bring it up even though deep down they know it was probably all fake.
Lost agent Arc
We see shinji again when ichigo tells the gotei 13 he is going to continue to be a substitute soul repears. But they were all shocked when ichigo suggested the retrieval of ginjo's body to give it a proper burial.
“Hey Ichigo, that guy messed up your family and friends. Can you forgive a guy like this?”
if you think about it, there is some parallel between ginjo's betrayal and aizen's betrayal:
1. Both used people thay trusted for their own goals and betrayed.
2. Both didn't just hurt their victims but also their friends and families. (Shinji with hiyori and momo with toshiro)
shinji reaction is interesting. I think he sees the parallel and is asking ichigo the obvious question, a question he would ask himself if ever given the opportunity, “Can I forgive a guy like aizen? Or rather.. should I?”
Shinji sees ichigo (sort of) forgiving someone who ruined his life, and I think he is asking ichigo if he can forgive someone like him, like aizen. Keep in mind that shinji used to be ichigo mentor of sort so he must have felt his own student showing some feelings to his enemy.
One key thing that in the manga and show is that ichigo has unconsciously changed alot of people in soul society. Shinji is no exception. As seen with his relationship with momo.
TYBW
If you read the manga, you should know that when aizen were released, people like shinji or momo didn't say anything. Hell, shinji just had one panel of him reacting to it. But thus, the panel of shinji just looks like: I know it's wrong to release aizen, but this is the right thing to do. There isn't hatred in his expression.
Funny enough, the people that were shitting on aizen were people that aizen didn't really hurt that much as compared to this two. I hope kubo is going to fixed this problem in the anime and have some interaction between shinji and momo. Like he's I understand they have recovered from aizen but having confirmation in the main source would be better
Now the point is: can shinji and momo forgive aizen? Tbh idk it's vv iffy but I don't think they would be seething with as much hatred as before when they see aizen and has learn to move forward and not be too caught up in the past.
Personally, I believe Shinji has never called Hiyori his 'first love' because it's a phrase without meaning to him. It's a gag. He's literally called every female he's met his 'first love' to get a reaction out of them and the people associated with them. But Hiyori? he's never said it to her because his love for her isn't a joke.
Kubo doesn't like to explain every single detail of his characters' lives or go into detail about the relationships within the series. Instead he shows how characters feel about each other through their actions.
People often forget that Hiyori and Shinji are mutually provocative. They call each other names to get a rise out of the other and they're not afraid to rough house. This type of relationship can only exist between two people who're extremely close. Especially since they would take the kind of physical rough housing and name calling as hostile by a stranger.
Let's also not forget that Shinji often lets Hiyori get the upper hand, or at the very least an equal footing with him, when they physically rough house. Captain rank soul reapers are not to be taken lightly and they're no pushovers when it comes to physical strength. Shinji was able to hold Hiyori like a doll while fending off Mashiro's kicks with one hand. He's not weak. So the argument of Shinji not being able to stop Hiyori at any time during their rough housing sessions is invalid.
Shinji likes to provoke others like a cat toying with their prey. So when he says 'she was my first love' he's saying it to get a rise out of them for his amusement. Hell he's even said it about Lisa at one point. But Hiyori is special to him and he doesn't want to joke about romance with her because he doesn't want her to think he's just teasing her when the love he has for her is genuinely real.
Out of all the Vizards, Shinji is the most protective of Hiyori and he was emotionally unstable when she was cut in half by Gin. Cradling her in his arms as Aizen taunts him to fight. Telling her to stop speaking when she's apologizing to him for the first time.
Shinji has never asked Hiyori to apologize for her rough housing and he didn't need an apology for her actions. Because he never took her actions as hostile or serious.
The loudest love confession from Shinji to Hiyori is the lack of 'first love' declaration. Because Hiyori is his true love.
Hooo boy. Oh no. We're going down the rabbit hole of Shinji Hirako's hairstyle choices and what they mean, people. Buckle in.
So, this has been bugging me for a while, but oh my gawd, we need to get the story straight on Shinji's freaking hairstyles. Because I care far, far too much about this and need to get it off my chest.
So what's the deal with Shinji's hair? Let's start with his TBTP arc hair, which is CRAZY. Oh my god.
In Bleach Tankobon #71, Chapter 652, we get this short flashback from Nanao with a surprise Shinji cameo. Please ladies, take note: Aizen may appeal to the common, everyday fangirl, but we Shinji stans are RARE and WE HAVE TASTE.
(Kubo not giving this chick page time is a CRIME, I tell you. I see you, girl. You're a woman of culture.)
Anyway, we can see from the dialogue that even in the Soul Society, home to Captain Kyoraku wearing ladies kimono around, Captain Unohana's front braid, and Mashiro's green hair, Shinji is regarded as weird. Some of that is undoubtedly referring to his personality, because Shinji is absolutely a weirdo, no question. He'd tell you himself. But his hair is somehow memorable, even when a number of male captains currently wear theirs long as well.
It's long in back, with slightly shorter locks in front, and then bangs.
Okay, you say. That's just a hime cut, right?
Well. Sorta. But also no? Listen, I have no idea what Kubo was thinking (obviously), so it's entirely likely and possible this was just what he felt like drawing, subtext be damned. You know, like that time he drew powered speakers in 1891.
Kubo, I love you, but you give historians like me the hives sometimes. That's clearly a 1970s style powered speaker.
And we know it's 1891 because Bleach started in 2001 and Kubo flat out admits it's 1891 on the little omake after that chapter.
Jazz started in the late 1890s Kubo, I'll give you that one: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20120224-travelwise-the-birthplace-of-jazz
*squints*
Are - are those BAKELITE HEADPHONES?!? From the 1960s?!? In 1891?!?
*rage-gargling noises of a suffering historian*
ANYWAY. HAIR.
So here's the thing. A lot of modern hime cuts DO have bangs:
But they also usually tend to have much shorter front locks, usually chin length.
Some even do little multi-step cuts, but you can see how short they tend to be. Shinji's is much longer, and technically back then, the modern "hime" cut didn't exist yet. So what the hell is he wearing?
He's doing a popular noblewoman's Heian era hairstyle, which often involved leaving the long hair loose or arranging it over the shoulders or in a long tail. When a girl reached the age of 16, she'd have a ceremony called "binsogi" (鬢削ぎ) that cuts the hair around her ears shorter like seen above.
This painting of Murasaki Shikibu done by Tosa Mitsuoki (土佐 光起) in the 1600s shows another good example.
So this leaves us with three things about this already that might be making those academy students think he's a weirdo:
Shinji's not a woman, and that's pretty clearly a woman's hairstyle. Cross-dressing was absolutely a thing back then, but it was generally done head-to-toe, not just a woman's haircut with men's clothes.
The Soul Society is pretty clearly based on Edo period Japan, and NOBODY WORE THEIR HAIR LIKE THIS THEN. It would be like you walking around with a beehive or a wimple in the 1990s. People would ask you what costume party you were going to.
Shinji is pretty clearly not a noble. His name, "Hirako" (平子) includes the character 平, hira. One of the kun readings for that kanji is literally "common" (Hiyori actually pokes fun at this in the manga). Kubo has been shown to be pretty deliberate with names and mannerisms, and not only does Shinji have "common" in his name, he has a commoner accent - Osaka-ben, which is often seen historically/stereotypically as somewhat crude, lowbrow, and associated with merchants (whom the nobility hated for reasons I'm not going to bore you with here).
So, not only is he wearing an outdated super feminine hairstyle, he's almost poking fun at the nobility by imitating their style as a commoner.
But wait. There's more.
Because see, every single example I can find of Heian era noblewomen hair just DOES NOT INCLUDE BANGS. Bangs are absolutely a thing in Japanese hairstyles, but they're almost invariably swept back and pinned with a comb, not left down on the forehead.
This is a lovely example from this book, which is pretty awesome and I highly recommend it: Amazon link, but it's not an affiliate, I don't do that.
So wait a second, you say. I can see that middle one on the right. What's that one?
Well, here's where we get off into the weeds, because I don't think Kubo INTENDED this (or maybe he did, he's a massive troll), but this theory amuses me immensely. I don't remotely think this is why Shinji chose this hairstyle, but the similarity is too funny not to mention.
See, that's a kamuro haircut. A kamuro is a young girl between 5 to 9 years old that is a courtesan in training to a very high ranking courtesan. (There was eventually a rule codified in the Yoshiwara pleasure district that high ranking oirans could have two kamuro and mid-tier could have one.) The girls wore their hair like that while it was growing out long enough to be able to style in an updo.
Now, this hairstyle is too short in back to be what Shinji's wearing. But it's also the only style I can dig up that had any kind of bangs at ALL during the Edo period (as far as I can determine, bangs just were not a thing in the Heian era.)
So Shinji is either wearing the outdated noblewoman's hairstyle WRONG (which is my theory) or he's added the bangs to remind people of a kamuro hairstyle. Which is extra weird, because he's not the right age or gender, and he's not an oiran's attendant. He could also be imitating something from the world of the living at the time, but the length of his hair and shorter front locks tends to disprove that; that is VERY much a Heian style.
So yeah, he's absolutely, positively messing with people from the get go here. Like, this is peak Shinji Hirako going, "I'm going to deliberately come off as weird just so I can gauge how you react and see what kind of person you are by your reaction to me."
Except here's the thing. He later cuts his hair while in the world of the living, right? And this bothers me immensely because everybody, including the Viz translators, refer to it as a "bowl cut".
No. This is a bowl cut.
It's literally a home haircut for guys you get by slapping a bowl on your head and cutting around it against the rim of the bowl. Shinji doesn't have a bowl cut, and neither does Soi Fon, and the original Japanese was making a joke about a kappa that they didn't bother to translate.
This is a Yokai called a kappa, btw. They have an indent in their head they keep water in. Hiyori was just finding another way to call Shinji hideous, basically.
I've seen some people call it a pageboy.
Noooooo. It's naaaaaawt a pageboy. He's wearing a bob.
Okay, semantics. Point is, he's STILL wearing (traditionally speaking) a woman's hairstyle. We don't know how many hair revolutions he went through in the last 100 years, but you have to be supremely confident, because it can be difficult to pull off, regardless of gender.
(Seriously, some guys look amazing with bobs, especially when the lines are less severe and chopped.)
Also, Shinji appreciation time, because you either pull off those straight bangs or you don't. It is, as Tim Gunn says, "A lotta look."
But hang on, hold everything. When did bobs even show up in Japan?
Whelp. Actually quite a bit earlier than you'd think. Here's a postcard from the Meiji era:
HANG THE FUCK ON ARE THOSE KAMURO AGAIN?
Yep.
So it's entirely possible he's leaning on this weird imagery to further unsettle people, but having a haircut similar to a child attendant is a wee bit squicky and I don't think that's honestly what was intended.
So what was Kubo going for here?
Well, the bob came to Japan around the 1920-1930 period, along with jazz, and it was an iconic hairstyle for women, particularly for the "Modern Girl" or "moga" (and the bob was called a moga, the association was so strong).
You can read more about this cool Kiyoshi Kobayakawa print, "Tipsy", here.
You know what was really popular in Osaka, even after it started getting censored in Tokyo as WWII picked up?
Jazz.
You know who loves Osaka and jazz?
Shinji Hirako.
I'm not going to rant about this right now, I have a whole other post about Shinji and wartime jazz.
I honestly think by the time Kisuke figured out how to fix the Soul Suicide issue with the Vizards that it was just getting to be the jazz age. They would have had to move around quite a bit, since Aizen was actively looking for them, and Shinji in particular (in fact, in the manga he specifically only calls out Shinji. Aizen just DOES NOT LIKE his former Captain, but he also respects the guy enough to be concerned about him being a loose cannon.) So they might have been in Osaka for a while instead of Tokyo, where Karakura is located. (It's not a real place, but Kubo has addressed it.)
I think Shinji stuck with his thing of wearing women's haircuts (it mentions this specifically in a databook and I can't find the reference now that I want it, ugh) and got a moga bob right around the time the jazz age was picking up and he knew he was going to live long enough to get a shot at Aizen. And I think he just stuck with it, honestly. Our boy was rocking a Heian hime for DECADES after it had gone out of style CENTURIES before. He's not going to change up everything on a whim (though I think he started fucking with his bangs purely to enhance the weird confusion of Sakanade's reversing sight.)
Also, since Hiyori's rampage sliced off part of his hair already, he'd have gotten a haircut asap to fix that, once he wasn't in any mortal peril. Our man likes to be stylin'.
Have this fun compilation of 10 decades of women's hairstyles in Japan. You've earned it.
Fantasy Guide to Royal Households and How they Work
When I say Households, I mean the entourage that follows around the royal family. The household went everywhere with them to care for their needs from the people who would empty their chamber pots to their noble companions. Most royal households are basically the same as noble ones, only on grander scale. Every royal had a household and an entourage as well as every noble at court.
Palace Personnel ~ The Commons
The commons were an intregal part of every household. They made up perhaps 80% of the work force. Royal courts were often on the road and never spent more than a few months at every palace. The court was constantly moving. Some positions were not permanent, meaning certain servants did not travel with the court because they were employed at the palace only. They would be paid by the Monarch's paymaster.
Scullion: The scullion was a relatively easy position to fill so they were often changed as the court went from palace to palace. They would be responsible for scrubbing and cleaning the servants quarters and the kitchens. They would scrub floors with lye, scour pots with sand, sweep put the fireplace and clean up after the other servants. They were the first to rise in a castle and tasked to light all the fires in the kitchens. Scullions would just be employed to the palace and serve a multitude of chambers
Laundress: The laundress was responsible for the cleaning of anything made of fabric in the household. Since they are handling unmentionables, they knew what happened behind closed bedchamber doors. They knew when the King visited the Queen or hadn't, they knew when marriages were consummated or not and they knew when the Queen and royal women were not pregnant. They often sold secrets to pad their pockets. Laundresses might be permanent staff but sometimes not.
Minstrels: The minstrel was a commoner hired to play an instrument or sing for the entertainment of the royal. A royal might staff a few at a time but they would always have one on hand. The minstrel would likely come with their masters as they travelled. The minstrel might serve the main royal household but a royal might retain their own.
Cook: The cook was one of the most important servants in the household. They would have the task of overseeing the running of the kitchens and keeping supplies in order. They would likely be on call at all times. Henry VIII's cook was often woken in the night because his royal master wanted a midnight snack. The cook was a valued member of the household and would have been highly sought after if they were a very skilled cook. They would have travelled with the joint. Cooks were apart of the greater royal household but often royals retained private cooks for their own use.
Maidservant: The maidservant cleans the castle. She would sweep the floors, scrub them, empty the chamberpots, get rid of the ashes from the fire and ready the fire for later. She would make up the bed or strip it for the laundresses. She would wash anything that needed washing including furniture and ornaments. She was likely not a travelling servant and would be strictly employed at a single palace.
Jester: The jester was the hired entertainer. Working under the master of revels, the jester had the daunting task of making the monarch and their family laugh. They would tell jokes, tell stories, cause havoc in the court for laughs and lighten the mood. The most successful jester of all time was Will Somers, jester to Henry VIII. Will broke bad news to the infamously bad tempered monarch and got away with things that would have sent others to the block. Will survived most of Henry's reign, his head intact. Jesters would be apart of the main household though each royal might have one of their own.
Positions within the Royal Household ~ Noble
Nobility were always welcomed at court. They eat at court, slept at court and were cared for by the monarch. Some nobles had to sing for their supper and most were hired as royal servants. They weren't exactly scrubbing floors and would be paid handsomely with land that would generate wealth for them
The Steward/Seneschal: This person was the head of the royal's staff. They would have the task of running the lands and servants their master or mistress. The steward served as a backup and assistant in all the tasks even representing their master or mistress when they were unavailable. Would be a high ranking noble. Each royal household would have them.
Treasurer of the Household: The treasurer was the accountant and pay master. They would be in charge of ensuring debts were settled, wages were paid and the household was running within the budget. This was a coveted position because it gave the treasurer insight into the financial situations of the royals. Such info was wroth its weight in gold. Each royal would have one.
Usher: The Gentleman Usher would be in charge of escorting guests into the royal chambers and into the royal presence. They would act as a go between their royal master/mistress and the guest often going back and forth with messages. It was just as coveted as the position of chamberlain but with less responsibilities.
Master of Horse: The Master of Horse was in charge of seeing to the horses of their master. They would oversee the grooms or the stableboy/hands who were employed at the stables to actually care for the horses. The master of horse would ensure that the stables were in order and the horses were up to parr in order to bear royalty across the kingdom. Each royal would have one but there would a main one who acted as overseer.
Master of the Wardrobe/Mistress of the Robes: These are the nobility who are employed to look after the clothes of the royal they serve. This would mainly involve a managerial position, overseeing the inventory of the royal wardrobe (a warehouse like building that housed the clothing) and placing orders for new clothes. It was a tidy job that rarely involved getting the hands dirty. Each royal would have one.
Chamberlain/Valet: The chamberlain is employed to look after the Lord's bedchamber. This was the most sought out position as they effectively were the gateway into the royal presence. Their main task was making sure their boss was comfortable and happy. Could be a well born commoner or a noble. Each royal would have one.
The Page: All royal households had pages. They would be a young noble boy about seven years old sent to their royal master. He would be in charge of tidying up after the lord, carrying messages to other servants and occupants of the castle and serving him at meals. Unlike others on the list, the page would not be paid. His experience was his payment as he would learn the running of a court and how to be courtier. Each royal would have one.
Squires: Squires were like pages though they only served the men. They would accompany their royal master to battle, look after his armour and mail, ensure that his lord's horse was saddled, caring for their master's weapons. The squire would always be a young nobleman on the cusp of becoming a knight.
Governess: The governess is a noblewoman woman employed to oversee the Monarch's children's household. She would be the first teacher a royal child would have and would oversee the nursemaids who would have care of the physical person of the child. She would be appointed when the child was four or five. Notable governesses include Katherine Swynford (wife of John of Gaunt and mother to the Beaufort line), Margaret Pole (wife of Tudor Loyal Sir Richard Pole, sister of the last York heir Edward of Warwick, daughter of George Duke of Clarence and niece to King Edward VI and Richard III), Kat Ashley, Margaret Bryan, Madame de Maintenon and Baroness Lehzen. Most unmarried Princesses retained their governesses while Princes generally outgrew their governesses after they were breeched.
Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber: They were the male companions of a King or Prince, sort of like ladies in waiting but manly. They would accompany the King or Prince everywhere they would go and shared duties with Groom of the Stool (royal toilet paper dispenser) and the Chief Gentleman of the Chamber (overseeing the staff and maintaining the chamber). They would help their master get ready, serve him at the table and organize hunting and games to keep him entertained. Gentlemen and companions where often chosen for their connections as well as their master's own opinion. Henry VIII's gentlemen included: Sir William Compton (ward of Henry VII and heir to rich lands), Sir Henry Norris (the grandson of William Norris who fought with Henry's father at Stroke and a relation to the Yorkists Lovells), Sir Anthony Denny (son of Sir Edmund Denny Baron of the Exchequer) Sir Michael Stanhope (brother in law to Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset), Charles Brandon (ward of Henry VII and son of Tudor Loyalists)
Ladies in Waiting and Maids in Waiting or Maids of Honour: These are the female attendants to the Queen or Princess. Ladies in Waiting were married while the Maids were unmarried. They would have to attend their mistress wherever she went, help her get ready, keep her chambers in order, write letters for the Queen and maintaining her honour. They were chosen for their connections. Using Katherine of Aragon as an example, her Ladies in Waiting included: Maria de Salinas (daughter of Juan Sancriz de Salinas secretary to Isabella, Princess of Portugal and a Spanish courtier in the service to Katherine's parents, wife of Baron Willoughby de Ersby), Elizabeth Howard (the daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, sister to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and wife to Thomas Boleyn, ambassador to France), Anne Hastings (daughter of William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, wife to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and Lord Steward.), Agnes Tilney (wife to Thomas Howard, Earl of and 2nd Duke of Norfolk.), Elizabeth Scrope (wife of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, a loyal Tudor lord), Margaret Scrope (wife of Sir Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk cousin to the King), Anne Stafford (sister of the Duke of Buckingham, married Sir George Hastings, Earl of Huntington and daughter of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (cousin to the King) and Lady Katherine Woodville (sister of King Henry VIII's grandmother and his great aunt by her marriage), Elizabeth Stafford (sister to Anne Stafford wife Robert Radcliffe, Lord Fitzwalter and Earl of Sussex around). Their connections are what got them their places and you can see why they were chosen.
Accommodation
Accommodation can be a difficult thing to sort both as a writer and a steward. You might have a palace of 200+ bedchambers in which you must house a staff of 500-/+, a varying amount of nobles, the royal family (of a varying amount) and their own households. When assigning rooms it is best to think of a Russian nesting doll. Start from the inside and work your way to the outside.
The best rooms go to the monarch, their consort and their children/siblings/parent(s). These chambers would include the bedroom, a drawing room/ common area, a privy, a closet (a small chamber that can be used for prayer or work). They would be furnished with the best cloth, the best candles and whatever furniture brought by the resident since most royal courts travelled from palace to palace. They will also have chambers for their personal servants such as ladies in waiting and grooms.
The second best set of rooms would go to the highest ranking nobles/people in the court. These rooms would be less fancy and a little smaller. These would be given to from titled nobility descending from those of Ducal rank (Dukes/Duchesses) or even members of the council such as Thomas Cromwell in Tudor times.
The next set would be considerably smaller, perhaps minus a closet or a drawing room. Given to lower nobility.
The next level of chambers would be smaller perhaps only the bedroom and a common area given to minor nobles.
The last set of rooms would be small and only hold enough room for a bedroom. Servants would have to sleep on the ground on pallets beside their masters.
Any other guests at court would have to stay at off-site locations around the palace in the city. Some nobles at houses around major palaces just in case they arrived late or were kicked out of court.
This song came up on shuffle recently and since then I've had the bug in my head to make a video to this! Mainly focusing on love (the most powerful thing in the universe!)
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