Courtesy (from the word ''courteis'', from the 12th century) is

gentle Gentle may refer to: * Gentleness People * Johnny Gentle, stage name of John Askew (born 1936), British pop singer who once toured with the Silver Beetles (later the Beatles) as his backing group * Peter Gentle (born 1965), Australian rugby league ...

politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books.

History

The apex of European courtly culture was reached in the Late Middle Ages and the Baroque period (i.e. roughly the four centuries spanning 1300–1700). The oldest courtesy books date to the 13th century, but they become an influential genre in the 16th, the most influential of them being '' Il Cortegiano'' (1508), which not only covered basic

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

and decorum but also provided models of sophisticated

conversation Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus ...

and intellectual skill. The royal courts of Europe did, of course, persist well into the 18th century (and to some limited extent to the present day), but in the 18th century, the notion of ''courtesy'' was replaced by that of '' gallantry'', referring to an ideal emphasizing the display of affected

sensitivity Sensitivity may refer to: Science and technology Natural sciences * Sensitivity (physiology), the ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli ** Sensory processing sensitivity in humans * Sensitivity and specificity, statisti ...

in direct contrast with the ideals of self-denial and dignified seriousness that were the Baroque norm. During the late medieval and early modern period, the bourgeois class tended to emulate the courtly etiquette of their betters. This changed in the 19th century, after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, with the emergence of a middle class with its own set of

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

etiquette, which in turn was mocked in the classist theory of Marxism as '' petite bourgeoisie''. The analogue concept in the court culture of medieval India was known by the Sanskrit term ''dakṣiṇya'', literally meaning "right-handedness", but as in English ''dexterity'' having a figurative meaning of "apt, clever, appropriate", glossed as "

kindness Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, rendering assistant or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. Kindness is a topic of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology. Kin ...

and consideration expressed in a sophisticated and elegant way".

References

External links

*{{cite EB1911, wstitle=Courtesy , volume=7 , short=x Etiquette