Who Wrote the Courtier?

The Book of the Courtier is a famous etiquette book written by Baldassare Castiglione in the 1500s. This famous Italian book dealt with the idea of how a courtier and a lady should behave in proper society, outlining the rules of etiquette for both. Let's learn a little more about who wrote the Courtier. 

Baldassare Castiglione, the man who wrote the Courtier, was the count of Novilara, Italy; he was a courtier himself as well as a soldier and a famous author of multiple other publications during the Renaissance era.

• Castiglione was born in 1445 and, with the death of his father, became the head of his prominent family and began representing them, making appearances in the court of Louis XII as well as other major responsibilities.

• Castiglione was publishing by the early 1500s. His writings focused on the courts, sometimes fictionalizing them into plays and novels, and they were meant to make commentary on social situations as well as provide information and entertainment. In 1524 Castiglione was sent by the Pope to Spain as an ambassador.

Publication of the Courtier

So, now we know who wrote the Courtier, but why was it written and how?

• Castiglione's years of interesting involvement with the royal system, courts and courtiers, head figures of society as well as religion, and his travels to all of the prominent capitals and countries of Europe at the time gave Castiglione a well-researched, informed background on the life of a courtier.
• This led him to publish The Book of the Courtier in 1528, just one year before he died.
• The book was published in Venice by the Aldine Press, and is based on his experiences at the court of Duke Guidobaldo da Montefeltro of Urbino.
• In the book, Castiglione describes the ultimate duties of the courtier and the ideal court system, from culture to conversation to manners and behavior.
• He outlines conversations that took place at Urbino, and provides samples for courtiers and ladies to follow in terms of philosophies and information they should know while being members of the court.