Though cleanliness standards were subpar throughout the Medieval, Renaissance and Regency eras, royal courts were typically dirtier than the average small cabin or home. The very crush of court members was so dense that it made a thorough house cleaning impossible-and futile. ![]() Within days of a royal party settling in one palace or another, a stink would set in from poorly discarded food, animal waste, vermin from or attracted to unwashed bodies, and human waste (which accrued in underground chambers until it could be removed.) The hallways would become so caked with grime and soot from constant fires that they were fairly black. Once the tour was over, Henry and a swelling court of over 1,000 would keep moving for the rest of the year, traveling frequently between the King’s 60 residences in a vain attempt to live in hygienic surroundings. Livestock and farmland also needed time to recover, after supplying food for so many people. ![]() Palaces-like Henry’s Hampton Court-had to be constantly evacuated so they could be cleaned of the accumulated mounds of human waste. They weren’t just exercising their tremendous wealth: they actually needed to escape the disgusting messes large royal parties produced. While these stops were important PR events for the king, designed to spark loyalty in his subjects, royal households had another reason entirely for their constant movement. Over the next four months the massive entourage would visit around 30 different royal palaces, aristocratic residences and religious institutions. In July of 1535, King Henry VIII and his court of over 700 people embarked on an epic official tour.
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