The political counsellor was unquestionably one of the most important and influential public servants of the Early Modern Period. Due to his widespread influence, public profile and close proximity to the prince, this figure was the subject of intense scrutiny in political treatises of the age, as well as in plays, histories and biographies. Historians have long noted his pivotal role in the political culture and events of the period, but less work has been dedicated to understanding the intellectual traditions that supported and framed this figure. This paper seeks to contribute to our understanding of the European public servant by exploring the development of a discourse of the counsellor in the works of early sixteenth-century humanists. Rooting this discussion in the context of early Tudor England, this paper examining the works of English humanists such as Thomas More, Thomas Elyot, Thomas Starkey and Thomas Smith in dialogue with continental writers on the counsellor, such as Erasmus, Castiglione and Antonio de Guevara. Unlike their continental counterparts, the English humanists envisaged a role for the counsellor distinct from that of a tutor or friend to the prince, thus constructing a political figure whose role was not just to sow the seeds of virtue, but to act as a constant spur to virtuous action and just policy. Despite this contrast, we can place the English politicization of the counsellor in the context of a pan-European attempt to institutionalise his role, reflected in the widely-circulated emblem literature of the time, and expressed in arguments for the increased power of parliament in mid-century England. The development of the discourse of the counsellor reflects a pan-European dialogue, not only influencing the political events of the time but intimately interwoven into the structure of the political, which constructed a role and normative framework for a novel and influential political figure – the political counsellor.
