Castiglione, Baldassare (1478–1529)

A diplomat and author whose famous Book of the Courtier described the ideal Renaissance gentleman. Castiglione was born into a noble family of Lombardy in the town of Casatico, near the town of Mantua in northern Italy. As a young man he attended the court of the Sforza family, rulers of Milan, and served during a campaign against an invading Spanish army in 1503. He became a diplomat for Duke Francesco Gonzaga of Mantua, and in 1504 joined the court of Duke Guidobaldo Montefeltro of Urbino, who sent him as an ambassador to King Henry VII of England. Castiglione also joined an expedition sent by Pope Julius II against Venice and for his service was rewarded with the title of Count of Novellata. He became an ambassador to the papal court after the election of Pope Leo X. In Rome he struck up a friendship with the Italian artist Raphael, who painted a well-known portrait of the author. In 1521 Castiglione attained a position in the church: He was sent as an ambassador to Spain by Pope Clement VII, where he attended to Charles V, king of Sapin and Holy Roman Emperor. When Charles's army attacked Rome, Castiglione came under suspicion for not informing the pope of the disastrous attack beforehand. Castiglione defended his actions and was exonerated.

In 1528 Castiglione published Il Cortegiano, known in English as the Book of the Courtier. The book was based on the author's experiences at the ducal court of Urbino. In a series of lively dialogues and conversations, based on those he heard at the court, he expounds on the training and manners of the proper gentleman. Castiglione sees the courtier as a new type of man, one educated in the arts and literature and trained for military service. The courtier, in his view, should act with selfcontrol and the dignified ease that comes from long experience of the world and training in a wide range of fields. This idea represents an important change from the medieval chivalric knight, who fought in service to a feudal overlord and solicited the affection of an idealized and unattainable lady.

The Book of the Courtier was translated into French, English, German, and Spanish. It was held in high regard in royal courts of France and England, and played a key role in introducing the humanistic outlook of the Italian Renaissance to northern Europe. The author is also known for an elegy he wrote for his friend Raphael on the painter's death in 1520, and letters that reveal in detail his life as diplomat and courtier.

See Also: Leo X; Raphael; Sforza, Ludovico