Who Were the Courtesans?

2.11.2012 | By: JP

Some regard the courtesans of the past as masters of underground diplomacy, while others think they were mere prostitutes.

On of the most famous courtesans of them all was Madame de Pompadour, the official mistress of King Louis XV of France.

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The courtesans offered more than just sex

The courtesans were women who offered various services to men of the upper class in exchange for money, valuables, a higher social status and political influence. They offered escort, company, a sympathetic ear, and occasional sexual favors too. The courtesans used their services to earn a living and to climb the social ladder. Their beneficiaries chose them based on their smarts, conversational skills, sociability, their looks, and their physical attributes. The courtesans usually had a pleasant personality, a distinct sense of humor, and they also possessed a broad general knowledge about many different things. These traits distinguished them from other, regular women. A courtesan was expected to be classy, elegant, and capable of taking part in conversations ranging from art to politics. In contrary to prostitutes, the courtesans only included sex as one of their many services, but they were still looked down upon by society and religious institutions. Their lifestyle was regarded as immoral.

The courtesans of the past are no more

During the late middle ages, courtesans were linked to witchcraft. They were hunted down and burned at the stake. In the 16th Century, the courtesans were regarded as mistresses, who were skilled in singing and dancing. The courtesans of the renaissance played a very important role in the upper social spheres. Sometimes they even took on the role of wives of their beneficiaries. A characteristic of the renaissance was that married couples of the aristocracy lived separate lives. Almost all aristocratic marriages were forged to keep the blood line pure and to strengthen political ties. Many married men of the aristocracy have sought the company of a courtesan. In the 18th Century, courtesans were rich and had a high social status. Despite this, many were prosecuted on the street and executed in public. They were accused of conspiracy and evil doings, even if they were the courtesans of a king. By the end of the 18th Century, public prosecutions and executions of courtesans had been abolished. During the Victorian era, the lives of the courtesans were governed by laws. It was determined by law how the courtesans had to dress, what they were and weren’t allowed to do, and what kinds of social events they were permitted to attend. At the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th Century, courtesans were completely accepted in certain spheres of society, up until the demise of the great monarchies and the rise of democracy. After the First World War courtesans as such no longer existed.

The cortigiana onesta and the cortigiana di lume

There were two types of courtesans. The first was the cortigiana onesta or the honest courtesan, who was regarded as an intellectual. The honest courtesans were well educated and knew a lot about the world. They were either born or married into a rich family and decided to become courtesans for their political benefit or the political benefit of their husbands. And there was also the cortigiana di lume, the lower class courtesan. The lower class courtesans started out as regular prostitutes who had to work their way up. They usually came from poor families and were expected to be at their beneficiaries’ disposal whenever they decided so, regardless of their feelings or their other commitments.

Less glamour, more worries

The courtesans were very vulnerable since tending for their beneficiaries' needs was their only means of survival. Their reputation among their beneficiaries depended on how well they were able to serve their customers. Their qualities were advertised by word of mouth. They often had to put their regular lives completely on hold and had to be there for the beneficiaries exclusively. Such relationships usually didn’t last long. The courtesans were interesting for their beneficiaries only as long as they had something to offer. And conspiracies were going on among the courtesans who got in the way of each other while trying to climb the social ladder all the time as well. If we also add the social stigma, the jealousy of the husbands, and the risk of being publicly executed, the life of the courtesans doesn’t appear as appealing as it’s described in modern legends.