Sir Thomas Hoby

Thomas Olsen (SUNY, New Paltz)
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Sir Thomas Hoby is principally remembered for his elegant and influential English translation of one of early modern Europe’s most popular books, Count Baldassare Castiglione’s

Il Cortigiano

(

The Courtier

). But in his own day, Hoby was also a rising star in the world of Tudor diplomacy and praised as a man of learning and cultivation.

Hoby was born in Leominster in 1530, into a distinguished Herefordshire family .The son of William Hoby and his second wife, Catherine Fordun, Thomas was only eight years old by the time that his half-brother, Sir Philip Hoby, some 25 years his senior, had already made a name for himself as a successful diplomat with the promise of a very distinguished career ahead of him. It is to Sir Philip that Thomas owed many of his opportunities in adult life.

Hoby…

990 words

Citation: Olsen, Thomas. "Sir Thomas Hoby". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 February 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2157, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2157 Sir Thomas Hoby 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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