Kamerger is the name of a court post. The word is a loan from the German language. What were the responsibilities of the person who had such a rank? What are the derivatives of this word in modern Russian?
The courtier
Kamerger is a borrowing. Translated into Russian, the word Kammerherr means "master of the room" or "room master." Consequently, the person holding this post in the Middle Ages (namely, in the troubled and gloomy era, this court rank appeared), observed the order in the room. But this is if you translate the term literally. In reality, the range of duties of this official was much wider.
Kamerger is an official who was entrusted with the duties of preserving cash. The commoner, of course, could not carry them out. Exclusively a man of noble origin. The term "chamberlain" is ambiguous. The meaning of the word in each medieval state had its own shades, because the job hierarchy in each country was distinguished by specific features.
Great Britain
After the death of Elizabeth, Jacob I ascended the throne. The English dynasty was in real danger. The Stuarts replaced the Tudors. The court war broke out. The king had to fight for power, using both noble and treacherous methods. Elizabethan henchmen still revolved around the throne, plotting intrigues. In this case, the court officials had considerable experience. And in order to overcome the onslaught of the minions of the English dynasty, the newly made king organized new institutions of power. One of them was the Royal Bedroom. A fundamentally new position was the one that received the name "Chamberlain". What it is? What were its features?
Chamberlains did not solve issues of national scale. At least in the early years of the post. These people were close to the king. They had access to the royal mansions, where even members of the State Council could not enter without permission. At the beginning of the reign of James I there were nine chamberlains. By the end of his reign - twelve.
In Germany
As already mentioned, “chamberlain” is a German word. But this post was not created in Germany. The fact is that other medieval states adopted the model of state organization. The concept of “chamberlain” appeared when in the German principalities, of which there were a huge number, the need arose for this position. And already from the language of Schiller, this word firmly entered the speech of Russian courtiers.
Under Peter I
The Great Reformer loved everything European. Moreover, the king imposed his addictions on his close ones. It was during the Petrine era that many Germanisms appeared in the Russian language. The use of most of them was really necessary. Indeed, in the eighteenth century, engineering and shipbuilding actively developed in Russia. But Peter wanted not only to improve science, but also to organize a court hierarchy according to the European model. And so he forced officials to learn German. New words appeared in the Russian lexicon. Among them - the names of posts that previously were not at court.
Chamberlain did not become a fundamentally new phenomenon. The harmonious foreign word has replaced the native Russian. Chamberlains began to be called solicitors with a key. Under Alexander I, this post was abolished. However, not completely. A few chamberlains still remained. But the role they played at the court was exclusively symbolic.
Under Catherine II
The empress, by virtue of her origin, was very respectful of everything European. And so there were quite a lot of chamberlains in her years. At the same time, the duties of the person holding this position were very unhindered. The official, who received a respected title, was now pacing around the royal mansions. However, a similar appearance had many faces at court. How did he differ from the rest?
Imagine the court society of the Catherine era. Kamerger has no distinguishing features. He does not wear much clothing and hardly differs from other court fraternities. In this case, how to understand that this is a chamberlain? Very simple. This is the same person who wears the train of the empress. When the royal lady is located on the throne, he stands behind her, from time to time supplying water and fulfilling other minor desires. Despite its insignificance, the chamberlain is a person who has a key with him. Yes, not simple, but golden, decorated with diamonds. There were quite a lot of people holding this position during the reign of Catherine.
Words formed from the concept
The root word is "Chamberlain." Today it has gone out of use. Kamergersky was called the very key of pure gold, which has exclusively symbolic meaning.
Today, this adjective can only be found in the name of one of the old Moscow streets. In the lane that runs between Tverskaya and Bolshaya Dmitrovka, officials once lived. Hence the name Kamergersky Lane.