The French Court of the 16th Century: What Else Do We Not Know About It?

The article examines several interrelated problematic questions, the first of which reflects the justification of scientific relevance for modern Russian historical science of studying the Western royal courts of the Middle Ages and early Modern times, in particular, French court. The author presents the royal court as an important part of French history, which influenced the historical development of European and partly Russian civilization. The interest to the history of French court of Russian historians is also associated with a significant number of rare French documents of the 16th century, concentrated in Russian repositories and requiring introduction into scientific circulation. These documents are largely associated with current Russian research on curial history, which have a long tradition and focus on the institutional history of the court. An overview of current trends in curial research in Western historiography is also presented, which focuses on the study of gender characteristics, personal court members, socio-political evolution of the court, compilation of databases on courtiers and employees, movements and residences of monarchs.