John, Ben, and Caesar
A (very) brief history of spending the night
In the time of my novel Behold the Bird in Flight, King John ran an itinerant court, meaning he dragged his wife, Isabelle, throughout England. With no TV or radio, he needed to display his power, his jewels, his beautiful queen, and reassure his countrymen he was in control and would protect them.
The court would arrive at a castle or manor house, honoring the resident baron or duke. Hosting meant prestige. It also meant expense — stabling and feeding the horses, feeding John and the massive retinue, giving over the best room where John’s bed, taken from a cart, would be assembled in all its glory.
John’s travel was luxurious compared to that of Ben Franklin. In his Autobiography - a terrific book - he writes of sailing from Phillie to Boston. During the trip, the boat started to leak, and the passengers took turns bailing water. The inns sold places on a bed; unless you paid more, you’d sleep with whoever got there first. If no inn was available, you might carry a ticking to fill with straw as your night’s mattress.
I recently flew to a lovely conference at Caesar’s Palace, thankful to live in modern times. No need to bail water or ride miles on horseback. The huge (costly) room could have accomodated many of John’s retinue, the bathroom was fit for a Roman, complete with jetted tub, and the sheets were immaculate.
My book, Behold the Bird in Flight is available here. Read it for more about King John’s harrowing treatment of Queen Isabelle and how she fought back.
