Baldassare Castiglione

Baldassare Castiglione was born into Italian nobility on 6 December 1478, becoming Count of Casatico. He moved through the courts as diplomat, soldier, and courtier, close enough to power to see how it actually worked. In that world he wrote Il Cortegiano, a courtesy book that tackled etiquette and morality with the precision of someone who'd watched careers rise and fall on a gesture. It spread through European court circles in the 16th century, shaping behaviour at the highest levels. He died on 2 February 1529, fifty years old, his book already canonical.