Concept in Definition ABC

An entourage is a group of individuals who carry out an activity to accompany a person of great relevance. Thus, this word indicates that between the group of followers and the personality highlighted there is a type of relationship or link. There is no single relationship model but there may be several variants.

The term that we analyze here has a series of synonymous words: courtship, escort, cohort or entourage. All of them have a very similar meaning, although not identical.

On the position of loyalty

As a general idea, any entourage must have one characteristic: the loyalty to the superior. This loyalty or fidelity can be of character professional, but not necessarily. In fact, sometimes the group that integrates it acts voluntarily and in a disinterested way.

It is worth remembering that this concept is sometimes used in a derogatory way, since the members that make up the Someone's entourage are subordinates who follow orders, something reminiscent of the idea of ​​submission or even slavery.

Types of entourage

The most popular is the one related to famous people, who are usually accompanied by a series of workers who are at their service. Some members of the entertainment world have in their entourage various professionals (a representative, assistants, bodyguards, personal trainer, driver, etc). Something similar happens with tycoons, gangsters, leaders, etc.

In some religious weddings, the bride and groom are accompanied by a bridal entourage, that is, a series of people who participate in the marriage bond in the ritual that takes place in the church (the parents of the bride and groom, the godparents. bridesmaids, etc).

In the institution of the monarchy there is the royal entourage, that is, the group of workers who attend to the monarch in his formal acts and in his private life.

The origin of the term

From an etymological point of view, entourage comes from the Latin sequi, which means to follow. Regarding its historical meaning, the entourage is a group of warriors who were part of the Germanic peoples during the period of the Roman empire and that they served a Leader. Between the boss and the group there was a relationship of mutual dependence; the chief supported his followers and they protected him.

Something very similar happened in other areas (for example in the Iberian Peninsula) where devotio was practiced, the union of a group with a leader in order to protect him. This type of link has evolved over time and in the Middle Ages became the vassalage (a vassal is a subordinate who serves the king). It is considered that the entourage, vassalage or devotion are forms of organization that are at the origin of the feudalism.