Originally courtesans were used as trusted messengers to relay messages between the king of the castle and any visiting dignitaries. Whatever else they delivered was questionable. It was also customery in during the rationale of the rational Renaissance for kings and queens and other nobility to lead quite seperate lives as most marriages were of convienience and connivance for social status and political ties. Unified unity does make for strange bedfellows as far back as an era when "courting" meant something other than going to the malt shop with Linda Lou!
This seperate but equal status had it's drawbacks. Sexual gratification of course being at the summit of this mountain of need. Amour knew no bounds.or boundaries and the quest for sex applied to both the male and the female of the royal castle. The queen might find herself in a secret sexual liason with a knight of the court or other figures who dwelt in the background, the king however would have his pick of the flock to fuck and he wasn't, nor did he have to be so subtle about it, although some absurd sense decorum had to be observed to protect the egos of the queen and to keep a lid on gossip. Of course if there was much talk permeating the air, one could loose their head over the issue or have a tongue removed or placed on the rack or in the Iron Maiden. Great group by the way...have all their vinyl.
Some of these courtesans became "kings favorite" and enjoyed all the trappings openly accorded one of royal blood. All accepted her status without saying a word or uttering a sound. Sound advice given the penalties of the day. The royal courts of England, France and Italy were fond of fondling their courtesans, and in fact the term itself is derived from cortigiana, or courtier in French.
There were also male courtesans called chevaliers in France, not to be confused with Maurice the singer a few centuries hence. The Spanish cour had them and so did the Italians and they were the male counterparts to the female courtesans, except they gave sexual service and companionship to married ladies, the landed gentry of the royal realm. This gigilos were highly popular in court until the 18th and 19th Century when the practice was abandoned.
In East Asia, the flower of femininity bloomed and the Japanese Empire had it's share of courtesans and concubines. The courtesans however were of a higher class on the social scale and their perfunctory function was basically one of court entertainment. The concubines took care of the intercourse in the course of the daily royal routine in brothels that were walled in "pleasure centers" set apart from the city proper sometime in the 1700's. While sex only prostitutes filled the pleasure centers and the royal fuedal palaces, the courtesans were educated not only in sexual pleasures, but in order to attain the higher class of "oiran" the official name of the courtesan whose mouth was used for conversational skills as well as giving oral pleasure to her "masters" The girls had to work their up in the ranks by attaining skills in flower arranging and musicianship.
Poverty played a large role in the recruitment of courtesans as many families would sell their daughters to brothels and royal households as servants and sex slaves. Depending on her beauty the best were kept for private service to a master while the others were used as prostitutes and rented out to clientele. Some were exchanged in trade or sold at open auction and fetch high prices.
Even in Europe, the courtesans were categorized by class. The higher class were well educated and some attained the rank and respect according to a woman of nobility. She would be expected to provide entertainment as well sex to her benefactor. She was chosen for her phyiscal attributes and if she had a delectible ass...she had class! They were expected to be well dressed and behaved in private and in public and were often paraded around in public as one would do with a trophy wife today.
Many females were sold to royals by their own husbands as in those dark days, the woman was considered as property. Some women willingly became courtesans to further their husbands social standings in the kingdom. Many husbands were granted titles and property by his wifes "owner". They would have to put their own sexual lives on hold and could only have marital sexual relations with the permission of the wifes castle dwelling lover and generally they could fornicate in a small room provided for them or in a cell in the dungeon area. In some cases the benefactor exercised his right to watch the conjugal visits as a form of entertainment. This type of arrangement was common among the wealthy classes who loved courtesan asses in from the 17th Century into the 20th Century.
A courtesan at the top of her game sexually could claw her way to the top of the hymen heap and attain power and political clout in the royal courts. She was truly a force to be reckoned with and not trifled with. Once she had gained this position, she could be ruthless to the courtesans below her in rank who also wanted to get a taste of the good life. Then again...some wily courtesan of lower rank could discredit the current mistress of favor and bring about her downfall, sometimes mysterious murders would occur within the castle walls and a competing courtesan would be found dead with a dagger of danger stuck in her corset. Sometimes the challenger courtesan would allow damaging information she was privy to about the kings companion to leak out. In a few instances this power play and sexual struggle worked to her benefit, but sometimes it was a double edged sword of a gamble, and if the kings consort were powerful enough she could get the competition banned from the royal court or have the king have her married off to a noble of lower rank in the far reaches of the kingdom. Then again, to save time and effort, the king would simply have the offender killed. Pussy power while romping in the royal bedsheets could be deadly and if you didn't play your hand right could result in your untimely demise.
Kings being crowned heads and all powerful can in time get tired of their palace playmate and she could be replaced with new sexual meat, imprisoned or publically executed! This final solution aspect disappeared by the mid to later part of the 18th Century. Most were merely cast out of the castle when they got too old, although some, probably the equivilent of todays sexy cougar moms, could survive in luxury for well past middle age and be financially secure at the same time.
Some records of courtesans show that while kissing the ring of the royal highness, also became friends with their benefactors wives, becoming friend and confident at that same time. In a few instances the courtesan and the royals wife would also engage in a sexual affair together so the courtesan was now shared property of king and queen, heads or tails!