Royal Court Research Articles

Rites for/of Power: Research on the Harmony of Three Teachings in Vietnam during the Former LL (LL SB) Dynasty (1428—1527)

This article studies the harmony of Three Teachings in Dai Viet during the period of the Former Lê dynasty (Lê Sơ period) (1428–1527). Most of the previous studies have suggested that Lê Sơ was the period advocating for the monopoly of Confucianism and rejecting Buddhism and Taoism. However, this article will prove that the Lê Sơ dynasty was thoroughly using Confucian classics under the Song dynasty, applying the model of Confucian state of the Great Ming dynasty, while still developing management policies on Taoism and Buddhism. The “The Convergence of Three Teachings” was a dynastic policy, in which Confucianism played a major role in ideological, political and cultural activities, while Buddhism and Taoism played a supporting role in ritual and religious activities of the dynasty and folklore. The results show that the “The Convergence of Three Teachings” is a constant of Vietnamese history from the Lý – Trần dynasties onward. The Lê Sơ royal court both developed Confucian cultural institutions and managed Buddhist and Taoist monasteries, temples and rituals. This can also be considered the foundation for the Three Teachings to come together in the later stages.

Archaeological and Anthropological Study on the Grave of Eunuch-Official Couple Serving for a Royal Court of Joseon Kingdom

Archaeological and Anthropological Study on the Grave of Eunuch-Official Couple Serving for a Royal Court of Joseon Kingdom

A Preliminary Investigation into the Religious Profile of King Jitāmitramalla of Bhaktapur Through his Compositional and Scribal Works

Abstract This article aims to provide a preliminary investigation into the religious profile of a Malla-era Newar king, namely Jitāmitramalla (r. 1673–1696), by examining his scribal and compositional output. It does this by engaging with largely unstudied sources, chiefly (i) an unpublished poem written by King Jitāmitra known as the Siddhilakṣmīmantrayantroddhārastotra in which the monarch extols the goddess Siddhilakṣmī and lays out methods for her worship and (ii) the colophons of seven liturgical paddhatis copied by this king, which to my knowledge, are still undiscussed and untranslated in secondary literature. In doing so, we gain an insight into the King’s understanding of various aspects of his own religious identity, including his role as a tāntrika and his relationship with his chosen deities. The material studied will also uncover new information on the religious affiliations of the royal Bhaktapuri court and the medieval religious landscape of the Kathmandu Valley generally.

Features of Monarchical Rules and Succession in the Ancient Near East

Features of kingship in the Ancient Near East manifested in the use of titles which expressed the relationship between the King and the Divine. The titles in later usage were developed, formulated, promulgated and finally became the royal ideology. The features, therefore, revealed that the concept of Kingship in the Ancient Near East is of divine origin. This paper argues that those features were conceived and nurtured by the Kings, the royal court and palace traditions in order to subject and subdue the opposing voices among their followers especially the opposition group who might had contested for the throne during the succession. The features were used to benefit the rulers and their palace officials. The approaches used in this research to arrive at this argument include historical, descriptive and comparative. Historical approach had been used because the terms ‘features’ and ‘monarchy’ seems to be historical terms. Descriptive approach had been used because grammatical relationship of words were examined. Thirdly, comparative approach had been used to point out how the two kingdoms though years apart but had similarities in terms of their royal ideologies. This research concludes that the features as used by the kings were an oppressive means used by the rulers over their subjects through exaggerating the powers of gods to manipulate the minds of their followers even though the King’s ruthlessness can be seen in the open, especially in enacting decrees and harsh policies on taxations and corveer.

Kulturtransfer zwischen Basel und Polen. Die Universität Basel und die politischen und intellektuellen Eliten in Polen-Litauen in der ersten Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts

This article deals with the relations between Basel and Poland in the first half of the 16th century, shown through the paradigm of the cultural transfer. The study claims that, in this period, relations with Erasmus of Rotterdam were far more important than relations with the University of Basel. Moreover, they have gone beyond the history of education. Indeed, Poles who visited Erasmus belonged to the narrow political elite of the kingdom. An analysis of the exchange of correspondence and gifts reveals that these contacts were not only of a cultural nature but also political. The royal court in Cracow used the position and fame of Erasmus to clear itself of favoring the Reformation. These accusations may have arisen in 1525 after the conversion of Grand Master of the Order Albrecht of Prussia which led to the establishment of the first Protestant duchy in Europe. The manipulation of the letter Erasmus sent to King Sigismund of Poland in 1527 proves that the cultural transfer not only went both ways and the “recipients” actively initiated it but also that they were able to creatively manipulate the content of the transfer.

복식 발기[件記] 수록 복식명 구성요소의 계열관계와 결합순서

The purpose of this paper is to delves into the paradigmatic relationships and syntagmatic order of components within costume names listed in 'Costume Balgi[件記].' For this purpose, we looked at the principles of writing ‘Costume Balgi’ through the format of Costume Balgi, and analyzed the components that make up the costume name included in Costume Balgi. Then we categorize each component into groups and explore their paradigmatic relationships. This not only classifies the costume names used in the royal court by vocabulary but also confirms how individuals from the late 19th to the early 20th century perceived and distinguished costumes based on vocabulary related to color, refining stats of the yarn, fabric, manufacturing methods, and types of clothing. Additionally, by examining the syntagmatic order of components within costume names and identifying the cognitive principles of compounding that influenced the order of combination, we gained insights into the cognitive system of understanding costumes that people of that time possessed. This study sheds light on one aspect of the cognitive framework regarding the perception of costumes that people of that era had by examining the paradigmatic relationships and syntagmatic order of components that constitute the units for discriminating and recognizing costumes, namely, the components of costume names.

“Tomb of the Philosophers” in Pella, Macedonia Revisited: New Findings on Its Iconography


 
 
 This article discusses the new findings on the iconography of the two figural friezes painted in the interior of the “Tomb of the Philosophers”, an early Hellenistic, monumental, built cist grave, situated in the east cemetery of Pella, Macedonia. A new technical investigation of the tomb’s wall paintings has allowed the revision of older readings of the two friezes. In the lower, main figural frieze new observations pertain to figure characterization, through features, dress and attributes, as well as to the scene’s setting. The figures of the frieze offer the earliest preserved gathering of intellectuals whose professional insignia cannot be missed, while the celestial globe shown on the west wall appears to be one of the earliest extant representations of the device and the earliest preserved in a funerary environment. The new identification proposed for the monuments shown in the upper, secondary frieze, which represents a horse race, aligns the frieze’s composition with established iconographic schemes of agonistic events, adds multiple levels of symbolism, and ties the Pella wall-paintings more tightly than previously believed with the “Torre Annunziata philosopher mosaic”, Pompeii, and its twin from Sarsina, Umbria. The bonds of astronomy/cosmology with political theory and with aspects of Macedonian royal ideology, in particular, are set in relief. Finally, it is argued that the physical vicinity of the “Tomb of the Philosophers” with the palace of Pella and the royal court informed the mode of burial of a man of thought with favourable relations to his times’ monarchy, as well as his mode of portrayal as “the astronomer” on the west wall, a figure that presents us with a Macedonian iconographic hybrid of a philosopher, resonating the Platonic concept of the “philosopher king”.
 
 

An Examination of a Jordainan Public Figure’s Alleged Defamatory Statement

This paper aims at analyzing an accusation of defamation of the Jordanians in a talk show by a public figure. The person accused of defaming the Jordanians is the former head of the Jordanian royal court, Yousef Aldalabeh. The alleged defamatory statement examined in the current study is a description of the relationship between the king of Jordan and his people as a shepherd/sheep relationship. This statement was claimed to be of offensive nature by many Jordanians. To support or refute this accusation, 318 comments on Facebook regarding the use of the phrase ‘shepherd and sheep’ by Aldalabeh were examined. The comments were divided into two general categories. In the first category of comments, this phrase was viewed as being defamatory, whereas the second encompasses comments in which the phrase was found to carry no defamatory meaning. The analysis revealed that 70.8% of the sample of people how commented on this statement found it to carry a defamatory meaning, whereas 29.2% commented that there is no defamatory element in it. Stating that Aldalabeh was not successful in expressing what he has in mind but meant no offense was the most frequent way for indicating that the statement is not defamatory. On the other hand, insulting Aldalabeh, using sarcasm and arguing that he misinterpreted the metaphorical sense of the disputed statement were associated with the highest frequencies for referring to it as being defamatory. 

Reading John Scottus Eriugena’s Carmina as Devotional Poetry

ABSTRACT This paper advocates for a reading of John Scottus Eriugena’s Carmina that situates his collection of poems within the genre of devotional poetry. Although the Carmina has recently benefited from scholarship on Eriugena’s theology, typologies of his poems consistently overlook the significance of their theological themes. Most instead attribute more significance to their political themes, since Charles the Bald commissioned many of Eriugena’s poems for special occasions at his royal court. This paper argues that a textual analysis which compares the significance of theological and political themes in the Carmina reveals several reasons why Eriugena’s poems should be read as devotional poetry. First, it explains how typologies of Eriugena’s poems overlook the significance of their theological themes by overstating the significance of Charles and his royal court. Then, it offers a close reading of three poems in the Carmina to show how Eriugena uses theological themes to frame political ones.

Cumans in the Hungarian Domestic Policy in the Second Half of the 13th Century

The article explores a range of issues related to the role of the Cuman population in the life of Hungarian society in the second half of the 13th century. Political crises arose against the background of the struggle between contenders for the throne. Gradually, special vassal-lord relationships were formed. Land allotments were granted to the feudal lords not in exchange for service but on account of their past services to the king. As wealth grew, so did the ambitions of the Hungarian barons. Bela IV planned to use the Cumans, who had resettled in the middle of the 13th century, in the fight against the local magnates. Gradually, the role of nomads in the royal court increased. The Cumans had become one of the key players in the domestic political arena of the country. During the civil war between Bela IV and Prince Istvan, the Cumans supported the king at the beginning of the conflict. During the reign of Laszlo IV, the Cuman aristocracy gained an advantage in terms of influence over the king. The king favored the Cumans, who also comprised his bodyguards. Local magnates, with the support of the papal legate in 1279, achieved the adoption of a law on the Cumans, which radically changed the way of life of the nomads. Because of this, the Cumans rebelled, and the king lost their traditional support. Later, representatives of the Cuman nobility became the main participants in the murder of Laszlo IV.

The theory of governance at Qudama bin Jaafar d. 337 AH / 948 AD In his book Al-Kharj and the writing industry

The Muslims cared more than they cared for writing about the policy of managing the state and the system of governance required and the nature of the ruler and his moral qualities, and also how his assistants are from ministers and advisers and other employees, as well as the way the ruler reaches the seat of power. Many scholars of the Islamic nation at that time wrote about this, among them Qudamah bin Ja’far al-Baghdadi, who died in 337 AH / 948 AD, who devoted six chapters to talk about this topic in his book (The Tax and the Art of Writing) in the eighth (last) position, speaking in importance to the need of people to establish governance and what are the specifications of kings (rulers) and their responsibilities and how their relations with the people are. The research was divided into three topics: the first dealt with a brief biography of Qudamah bin Ja’far and his author (The Tax and the Art of Writing), and the second the human need for a system of governance, and the third in the morals of kings and the qualities of their employees from ministers and others from the royal court staff.

Archbishop Wulfstan of York and the Danish Conquest of 1016

Abstract Wulfstan, archbishop of York (1002–1023) and bishop of Worcester (1002–1016), occupies a pre-eminent place in the political history of eleventh-century England, yet surprisingly little is known of his life and career. The consequences of this ignorance are particularly acute for the years surrounding the Danish Conquest of 1016. The upheavals of this period led Wulfstan to compose his most well-known homily, the Sermo lupi ad Anglos (1014), resign from the see of Worcester (1016), and transfer his loyalty from the English king Æthelred to the Danish conqueror Cnut. Yet while the years 1013 to 1018 left discernible traces in Wulfstan’s thought, the particular circumstances that produced these traces can be perceived only dimly. The means by which Wulfstan maintained his status through the years of conquest are significant for more than just their impact on his career and evolving political vision. While his role as a leading legislator during the reigns of both Æthelred and Cnut has been taken as evidence that he managed to emerge from the Conquest relatively unscathed, Wulfstan’s influence at the royal court during these years was inconsistent at best and his success in navigating the change in power was not inevitable. Wulfstan’s approach to the complicated politics of the Conquest thus provides a useful case-study of the various ways in which the Church, its leaders as much as its institutions, balanced competing allegiances to king and conqueror.

Дундад зууны монголчуудын алтан эмээлийн тухай

The design and practical utilization of saddles dating to the Great Mongol Empire contain diverse cultural contexts. The adornment of the pommel displays motifs of vivid, free, spiritual, and mighty subject matters. The designs of intertwined floral patterns, twisted ropes, ‘horns,’ and scroll motifs, along with depictions of deer, rabbit, and horse, are the most favored themes for nomads but are rarely observed in other cultures. As the Mongols conquered and reigned by virtue of their horses, they worshipped these animals and adorned them with the best they had to offer. The extensive use of precious metals was meant to demonstrate their power and status. The origin of gold and silver-plated saddles dates back to the Khitan (Liao) Dynasty. According to researchers the smithery traditions and technology were sustained and advanced during the Great Mongol Empire. The saddles dating to this period were embellished with gold and silver plates on the pommel, cantle, saddle bars, gullet, and rear jockey, punctuated with precious stone inlays. Meanwhile, all the leather straps of the girth, breast collar, and cruppers were adorned with gold and silver plaques of the same design. Several 13th- and 14th-century gold and silver-plated saddles unearthed in Mongolia, Ukraine, Russia, and Inner Mongolia, China, were each distinct in design yet displayed the salient features and craftsmanship traditions of the Mongols. Dragon has been the symbol and insignia of prestige and the royal court in Oriental ideology. The embellishments on the pommel, gullet, and bars are symmetric with typical Mongolian decorative design. Judging from historical resources and archaeological finds, horse harness fittings made of gold and silver were of significance to the imperial Mongols. The relatively intact three saddles in Ayurzana Altangerel’s collection in Ulaanbaatar have been attributable to the imperial court of the Great Mongol Empire, considering their level of craftsmanship proficiency, production methods and techniques, as well as the frequency of dragon motifs with three and four claws and precious stone inlays, all of which exemplify the exotic taste of the steppe people. The gold and silver arts under the Great Mongol Empire initially employed the distinct nomadic taste, traditional customs, and material culture, and further developed into a cultural continuum of a world empire, articulating and acculturizing diverse religions and cultures of all the nations under its reign. Mongolia acquired more influences from foreign cultures in both material and intellectual development, yet the arts of nomadic Mongols manifested and served as the core and essence of this worldly phenomenon, reverberating in other parts of the world.

World Literature: An Indian Way of Thinking

The idea of the world is a dynamic phenomenon, and the development of world literature is tied to both literary and extra-literary events. Worldwide literary centers can be found in many locations spanning both time and space. The concept of the world, or Visva (Sanskrit), is considerably older even if world literature has been a discursive framework that has affected the literary structures of many languages around the world since the 19th century. “Vasudhaiba Kutumbakam,” or the universal neighborhood, is a term from ancient Indian literature that attests to the age of the concept of Vasudha, or the world. As a result of numerous trade routes, cultural interactions, the expansion of ancient and medieval kingdoms, and the transit of literary writings, cosmopolitan literary spaces were created in various parts of t8he world. Additionally, the absence of modern cartography and the sovereign state system enabled constant changes in the borders of the empires, resulting in spaces with many languages. India has connections to several Asian nations dating back to ancient times, as well as to Europe since the medieval period. The diverse traditions of human thought from various parts of the world are carried in Indian literature. Significant literary contacts and the ongoing formation of new literary legacies were witnessed in the East, Middle East, South East, and South Asia of the present. The Sufi and Bhakti traditions, the reception of Indian epics as oral, written, and performative texts in South-East Asia, and the role of the royal courts as multilingual literary spaces continue to broaden the intellectual traditions of Bharat (India). Thus, the pre-modern development of world literature seemed intriguing and a subject worth exploring for literary professionals. This essay contends that ancient and medieval India and Bengal, particularly their languages, continually bargained to expand their intellectual frontiers.

Knowledge and Power in Indonesian Traditional Music: A Genealogical Approach on the Transformation of the Meaning of Karawitan

The term Karawitan is generally known to mean gamelan music, more specifically Javanese, Balinese, and Sundanese gamelan music tuned to slendro and pelog scales. However, the term is discursive and has meaning in wider contexts as well. The term karawitan first appeared during the colonial period in royal courts on Java to indicate Javanese gamelan music. However, through its nation-wide university karawitan programs, the Indonesian government and art academics use the term to refer to all Indonesian traditional music practices (Musik Nusantara).Thisarticle gives a postcolonial account of the discourse surrounding the term karawitan to trace the transformation of its meaning. It employs Michel Foucault's theory of discourse and genealogical research methods to explore colonial-era and post-colonial literature using the term karawitan. By reviewing various discourses about karawitan, authors provide a more nuanced understanding about how power operates in the context of traditional music in Indonesia. We illustrate how the meaning of “karawitan” has been re-defined and contested through discursive practices. In general, these transformations demonstrate a shift from colonial power to national power

Jews in the Society of Jesus: Claudio Acquaviva and his critics

The Spanish origins of the Society of Jesus entailed a sensitivity about the Jewish ancestry of many of its members. This article examines the decision taken by the Fifth General Congregation of the Society (1593–1594) to exclude persons of Jewish descent (conversos), in light of strong criticism voiced by three leading Jesuits: Robert Persons (1546–1610), superior of the English mission, Diego de Guzmán (c.1522–1606), a noted Spanish preacher and catechist, and Antonio Possevino (1533–1611), an Italian Jesuit involved in high-level diplomacy. This article analyses selected correspondence in which they confronted the superior general, Claudio Acquaviva (1543–1615, in office 1580–1615), questioning the argument that conversos inhibited the work of the Society. The writers’ rhetorical strategies include logical argument and practical demonstration as well as appeals to ethos and pathos through personal experience and dramatised precedent, hoping to shame the general into moderating the policy. Acquaviva’s resistance to their persuasion is explained by his need to retain the support of the Spanish royal court in asserting his authority over dissident Jesuits in Spain as well as to sustain his project to increase the effectiveness of the Society through internal coherence and tight organisation.Contribution: The article illustrates the use of rhetorical strategies to reinforce the biblical principle of racial equality within the Society of Jesus in the Reformation era.

„Von seiner Hochheit allenthalben recommendiret wird”

Based on archival material from the Hungarian Royal Court Chancellery Archive in Budapest, this study examines the extent to which the selection and advancement of offi cials were infl uenced by Prince Albert of Saxony (who became Duke of Saxe-Teschen in 1766). He was appointed by Maria Theresa, his future mother-in-law, as the lieutenantgovernor of the Kingdom of Hungary in late December 1765. From the official papers, it is possible to ascertain the reasons given for changes in personnel in the Hungarian Royal Lieutenancy Council, the primary government body (of which the Prince was the president) responsible for domestic policy in Hungary. The period under consideration is between 1765 and 1771. The influence of Prince Albert, an outsider in Hungary, was hardly discernable in the early four years. Appointments were invariably decided by the sovereign, Queen Maria Theresa. During this time, Prince Albert’s role was mostly limited to proposing individuals for non-salaried, so-called supernumerary posts or honorary councillorships. However, following the introduction of a new, more professinalised administration in 1769, the Hungarian Royal Lieutenancy Council required more experienced and qualified staff. Consequently, Prince Albert had the opportunity to advance his trusted officials who had proven their administrative efficiency. He achieved the promotion of talented secretaries to the rank of councillor, for example, even if it occasially involved unorthodox methods. The sources also show that low-paid, lowerranking officials received a pay increase, and from 1776, a special bonus. Hence, the files of the Hungarian Royal Court Chancellery clearly demonstrate that Prince Albert had an influential role in proposing candidates for administrative offices.

UNVEILING POLITICAL DYNAMICS: THE INTRICATE MOTIVE BEHIND THE MURDER OF LEVAN (LEON) BATONISHVILI

The paper provides a comprehensive exploration of the complex political milieu in Kartl-Kakheti during the 1770s and 1780s, particularly elucidating Russia's expansionist objectives. Within this historical context, it meticulously examines the altruistic endeavors of Levan Batonishvili, a figure of significance in his own right and an ancestor to the esteemed King Erekle. Batonishvili, distinguished by his erudition, astute intelligence, courage, and active role in politics at the royal court, emerges as a pivotal character in the narrative. His unwavering commitment and robust support for King Erekle, especially in fortifying state policies that aimed at the unification of the country and bolstering defense capabilities, are integral facets explored in this research. Batonishvili's role as a stalwart ally to the king becomes crucial in understanding the broader political landscape. Through a meticulous analysis of primary sources and a chronological examination of political events, the paper posits that Russia, recognizing the influence and effectiveness of Batonishvili, strategically targeted him. This targeted approach, as unveiled through the research, played a significant role in disrupting Georgia's European aspirations, profoundly altering its developmental trajectory towards alignment with Russia. The research not only offers a nuanced understanding of historical events but also underscores the intricate interplay between key figures like Batonishvili and the broader geopolitical forces shaping the fate of the Caucasus in the 18th century.

The Response to the Croatian National Struggle in 1848-1849 in the Western Armenian Periodical Press

Key words: Austrian Empire, Hungary, Croatia, national struggle, autonomy, I. Jelacic, “The Arshaluys Araratyan’’, “Hayastan’’ “The Arshaluys Araratyan’’ of Smyrna and “Hayastan’’ of Constantinople, the ideologues of the Armenian national conservative current, commented broadly on the revolutionary and national-liberation struggle taken place in the Austrian Empire in 1848-1849. On the base of the European press news, the Armenian periodicals presented the entire course of the national struggle of the oppressed peoples in the Austrian multinational Empire, as well as the Croats’ struggle. They realized that the national struggle of the Hungarians was directed against the Vienna royal court and aimed to restore their lost state. At the same time the Turkish-Armenian periodicals correctly noticed that the armed Croats were struggling against the Hungarian authorities, desired to be freed from their rule and gain national autonomy within the Austrian Empire. The newspapers “Arshaluys Araratyan’’ and “Hayastan’’ didn’t show any emphatic attitude towards the national struggle of the Croats and presented it mainly from an impartial perspective. Hovhannes Chamurchyan Teroyents, the leader of the Western-Armenian extreme conservatives and editor of “The Hayastan’’, was against any revolutionary movement naming its participants the rioters. He presented the struggle of the Croats simply as a “historiographer”.

The Letter Cloth: Sensory Modes of the Epistolary in Prison Theatre Practice

In this article, I explore performances of letter writing within the archives of the London-based theatre company Clean Break, who work with justice-experienced women and women at risk. Clean Break’s archive at the Bishopsgate Institute in London contains an extensive collection of production ephemera and letters. Charting the company’s development across forty years of theatre productions, public advocacy, and work in prisons and community settings, these materials of the archive—strategic documents, annotated playscripts and rehearsal notes, production photography and correspondence—reveal the acute importance of the letter to people living on the immediate borderlands of the prison. Despite these generative resonances, however, the epistolary form is very rarely used in Clean Break’s theatre: as the archive reveals, since the company was founded by two women in HM Prison Askham Grange in 1979, stagings of letters have occurred in only a handful of instances. In this archival exploration of the epistolary in three works by Clean Break—a film broadcast by the BBC, a play staged at the Royal Court, and a circular chain-play written by women in three prisons—I investigate what lifeworlds beyond prison epistolary forms in performance propose.