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An Esquire of the Body was a personal attendant and courtier to the Kings of England during the Late Middle Ages and the early modern period.[a] The Knight of the Body was a related position, apparently sometimes merely an "Esquire" who had been knighted, as many were. The distinction between the two roles is not entirely clear, and probably shifted over time. The positions also existed in some lesser courts, such as that of the Prince of Wales.
The roles could be an important step up in the career of a courtier, politician or soldier. Ex-holders included such figures as William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton, William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, and John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk.
There was an element of the bodyguard in the role, but it also might be awarded to companions the king liked, or to regional gentry to bind them to the king's "affinity" of retainers. To some extent it equated to the French valet de chambre and similar roles in Continental Europe.
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