The Court Historian is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by The Society for Court Studies covering research in the field of court history. The journal is published twice a year and features articles on the history of royal and princely courts from the late Middle Ages to the present.

Court historians were individuals who were employed by the kings and emperors to chronicle the events of their reigns. They were responsible for recording the important events, battles, and victories of the rulers they served. Their writings were considered to be the official records of the reigns and were often used to justify the actions of the rulers.


There were many court historians throughout history, but two of the most famous ones were:


Herodotus was a Greek historian who lived in the fifth century BC. He is considered to be the father of history and is known for his work, "The Histories." Herodotus' work was not commissioned by a king or emperor, but he did travel extensively and collected information from various sources, including court historians. His work covers the Greco-Persian wars and is an important primary source for historians studying that period.


Ibn Khaldun was an Arab historian who lived in the fourteenth century AD. He served as a court historian for various rulers in North Africa and Spain. His most famous work is "The Muqaddimah," which is a history of the world from the time of Adam and Eve to the fourteenth century. Ibn Khaldun's work is considered to be one of the most important works of Islamic historiography.


Court historians played a crucial role in recording the history of their times. Their writings provide us with valuable insights into the political, social, and economic conditions of the periods they lived in. They also give us an understanding of the motivations and actions of the rulers they served. Without their writings, we would have a limited understanding of the history of many societies and cultures.