Office of the Chief Court Mistress
| Office of the Chief Court Mistress Obersthofmeisterinamt | |
|---|---|
| |
| Coat of Arms of the Department | |
| Department overview | |
| Formed | 17 September 2018 |
| Jurisdiction | Karnia-Ruthenia |
| Headquarters | Persenburg |
| Minister responsible | Kesia, Baroness von Medin, Obersthofmeisterin |
The Office of the Chief Court Mistress, also know as the Obersthofmeisterinamt, is the household of the Empress. Is composed by the hofmesterees ('Court mistresses'), who is a lady-in-waiting, second in rank after the Empress herself. The post has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the Empress, along with various duties at state ceremonies.
The Court Mistresses - there are always two mistresses - duties and responsibilities encompass the daily activities, such as state visits, organising events, everything relative to the etiquette and organization of the Household of the Empress, signalling the dates for audiences to the Empress and accompanying her in every ceremony ,also in charge of the clothes purveyors and directing the formal dressing of the Empress.
In 2018, when was created, a set organisation was finally established for the Karno-Ruthenian Imperial court which came to be the characteristic organisation of the court roughly kept from this point onward. The first rank of the female courtiers was the Obersthofmeisterin, or Mistress of the Robes, who was second in rank after the empress herself, and responsible for all the female courtiers. Second rank belonged to the governesses of the imperial children and heads of the children's court. Third in rank was the Fräuleinhofmeisterin, a replacement of the Obersthofmeisterin when necessary, but otherwise had the responsibility of the unmarried female courtiers, their conduct and service; this office never was occupied. The rest of the female noble courtiers consisted of the Hoffräulein, the maids of honour, unmarried females from the nobility who normally served temporarily until marriage. The Austrian court model was the model for the Karno-Ruthenian court[1].
The Department's headquarters is located within the grounds of the Hofbau Palace.
First created on 17 September 2018, it was disestablished on 03 October 2019, but was predicted that the office would be recreated as soon as it was occupied by someone else[2]. During her short tenure as Queen of Ruthenia and then as leading woman in the court of her son, Archduchess Denise dismissed the possibility of creation of a household for her.
After the wedding of Oscar I to Marie Elisabeth Haiane of Woestein, the office was recreated, and was appointed the current Obersthofmeisterins on 11 September 2021[3]. In the same decree, was included as one of the functions of the office the care of the Empress's daughter, Archduchess Alice of Karnia, extending the atribuitions of the office. However, on 05 May 2023, the Office of the Household of Archduchess Alice was created to provided administrative support to Archduchess Alice, only daughter of Oscar I.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Akkerman, Nadine; Houben, Birgit, eds. (2013), The Politics of Female Households: Ladies-In-Waiting Across Early Modern Europe, Leiden: Brill.
- ↑ Imperial and Royal Decree n. 181-2O19, O3 October 2O19.
- ↑ Imperial and Royal Decree n. 219-2O21, 11 September 2O21. A bill to re-establish the Office of the Chief Court Mistress. Imperial and Royal Government.