The Society for Court Studies was founded in London in September 1995 with the aim of stimulating and co-ordinating the study of courts from 1400 to the present. It examines courts from a multi-disciplinary perspective, bringing together (amongst other areas) architectural history, military history, art history and cultural patronage, and the role of women in courts.

The Society for Court Studies is a registered charity. Membership is open to interested scholars and students from any country and to those from related disciplines. Seminars are held in London three times a term, and the Society organises two conferences a year. There is a separate programme of seminars and conferences in North America, where the Society was established in September 1998.

The Society's journal, The Court Historian - The International Journal of Court Studies, is published twice a year and is the leading periodical in the field of court studies.

The Court Studies Forum, set up in July 2007, links the Society for Court Studies, the Centro Studi Europa delle Corti, the Centre de Recherche du Chateau de Versailles, and the Instituto Universitario La Corte en Europa (IULCE) of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

 The Imperial Chancellery in the Hofburg in Vienna