Rule #11: Die a noble death

The highest honor one could receive in death—and the best way to secure your legacy—was an elaborate public funeral. Large, heraldic funeral processions were a form of public pageantry that reinforced the social order. They showed onlookers that death was not the great leveler but yet another opportunity for the expression of power. Elite funerals were incredibly expensive, requiring thousands of yards of black cloth for the mourners’ gowns. And they were full of symbolism, with coats of arms and mourning jewelry worn by family and friends.

A funeral for a royal favorite

Lord Chancellor Christopher Hatton (1540–91) was a favorite of the queen (Rule 12). She referred to him as “The Dancing Chancellor” because of his skill on the dance floor, and she showered him with promotions, honors, and grants. He managed never to offend her, perhaps because he never married. In return, she gave him an impressively grand state funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This 14-foot-long roll records the funeral procession.

A celebrity funeral

The funeral of Sir Philip Sidney (1554–86) was one of the great London events of 1587, seen by thousands of onlookers. Sidney was considered the ideal “Renaissance man,” a soldier, knight, scholar, and poet. He died at the age of 31 after being wounded in battle in the Netherlands. Thomas Lant published a series of 30 engravings of Sidney’s funeral procession, which featured hundreds of mourners. When attached end-to-end, the engravings form a 38-foot-long roll.

To be introduced to the mourners at Sir Philip Sidney’s funeral as they march across the page, see the video below.

Planning the perfect funeral

Noble funerals were lucrative for heralds, who were trained in the intricacies of coats of arms and ceremonial protocol. Here a herald records details for the organization of a funeral for an earl—a high-ranking noble, below only a duke and a marquess. The herald depicts various types of banners and the ornately decorated hearse (which, in the period, was an elaborate structure erected over a coffin during a funeral).