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The ceremony of holding the stirrup of an arriving high-status guest, illustrated here showing Emperor Frederick Barbarossa doing it for Pope Adrian, kneeling beside the horse and holding the stirrup as the pope mounts. This kind of thing casually for any arriving minor noble from anywhere was a brilliant way for Medici to perform non-princliness, since it's usually a servant's job (hence the pope humiliating the emperor by making him do it) but look at those harshly bent knees!

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The ceremony of holding the stirrup of an arriving high-status guest, illustrated here showing Emperor Frederick Barbarossa doing it for Pope Adrian, kneeling beside the horse and holding the stirrup as the pope mounts. This kind of thing casually for any arriving minor noble from anywhere was a brilliant way for Medici to perform non-princliness, since it's usually a servant's job (hence the pope humiliating the emperor by making him do it) but look at those harshly bent knees!
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Ada Palmer (adapalmer@wandering.shop)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Jan-2025 07:07:29 JST Ada Palmer
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Add the fact that Europe’s diplomatic class at the time was all nobles, so every envoy is at least the son of a baron and must be greeted with obsequious bowing and scraping, and walking along beside his horse leading it to where he’ll be staying as an act of symbolic servant-like humility. Ow! 9/?

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