Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
In the fifteenth century, Guarino Guarini, Ludovico Carbone, Francesco Filelfo, and other humanists composed and delivered Latin orations at courtly weddings in Ferrara, Naples, and Milan. In these epithalatmia, which are mostly unpublished, orators adapt a classically inspired conception of marriage to Italian court culture. They defend physical beauty and sexual pleasure, praise learned brides, and assert the importance of mutual affection, revealing a complex picture of ideal gender relations in courts. Against the ancient and Christian anti-marriage ascetic traditions, humanists offer biblical, philosophical, political, economic, and hedonistic arguments in defense of marriage.
I wish to thank the following for their invaluable criticisms, comments, and suggestions on drafts of this article and in discussions: James Hankins, Steven Ozment, John O'Malley, Ronald Witt, Kenneth Gouwens, Christopher Celenza, John Monfasani, Paul Grendler, Jill Kraye, and my wife, Una. Research and writing of this article was made possible by grants from the US Fulbright Foundation, Harvard University, and the Warburg Institute. All translations are my own unless otherwise noted.