Lit tle known or interesting history facts.

Here is an interesting (and GROSS..) bit of history. I bet very few folks know this little "factoid".!!

King Henry VII had attendants specifically to help him go to the bathroom.



While this intimate courtier position developed over centuries, it was in the reign of King Henry VII of England that it became an official position of great honor. Henry VII had four "Grooms of the King's Stool" which assisted him in his most necessary task. These men monitored his bowel movements, checking them and reporting their results to the Royal Doctor. They supplied the king with a bowl, water, and a towel, and even assisted him in cleaning up after the fact.

Though it certainly doesn't sound like a job anyone in their right mind would strive for, the position meant these courtiers were privy to royal secrets. These attendants had quite a bit of court power, and the ones that served King Henry VII were all eventually knighted. This practiced continued until 1901.