The French court ("Cour de France" in French), often simply “la cour”, refers to the group of people, known as courtiers, who lived in the direct entourage of the king or, under the First and Second Empires, the emperor.
In the Middle Ages, this courtly world included not only great lords but also royal and ministerial officers responsible for the administration of the realm, as well as advisors. With the decline of the great feudal lords, it evolved into a gathering of courtiers who sought royal favor and pensions.
By the end of the Ancien Régime, the term “court” also came to represent royal power in its entirety. The court was the epicenter of political life in France until the Revolution. Even in the 19th century, the term continued to denote the royal and imperial courts during the various restorations and the two imperial regimes under Napoleon.