During the Middle Ages, towns, universities, monasteries and trading companies all had their own messengers, some of whom were protected by royal decree. The Papacy had its own courier system, in order to keep in touch with its clergy and churches across Europe. Bishops were required to send regular messages through to Rome, and in return, received papal messengers from Rome.

Only the wealthiest individuals and organisations could afford private courier systems, because of the need for horses, accommodation and travel expenses. This meant that messengers often worked on a ‘freelance’ basis, taking messages from several different sources and competing with other messengers to be the first to deliver important news.

The best messengers were men who were fit and healthy and ideally had a knowledge of more than one language. Religious messengers needed a basic knowledge of Latin, for dealing with the Pope, bishops and abbots. In many cases, messengers travelling overseas, particularly to a foreign court, were expected not only to deliver their message safely, but to obtain as much information about their surroundings as possible before leaving. This sometimes led to messengers being implicated as spies.

Lynne Elliott, Medieval Towns, Trade and Travel [Crabtree, 2004]

Norbert Ohler, The Medieval Traveller [Boydell, 2010]