Levett Hanson (1754–1814), who styled himself as 'Sir' Levett Hanson, was an English-born author and courtier who was active at a number of European courts. Early life Hanson was born 31 December 1754, at Melton, Yorkshire. He was the only son of Robert Hanson of Normanton, Yorkshire, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Isaack Jackson of Bury St Edmunds. His father was the son of Benjamin Hanson and Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Levett of Normanton. Hanson went to a school at Bury St. Edmunds in 1766, and afterwards, in 1769, to one at North Walsham, Norfolk, where Nelson was his schoolfellow for two years. He was on terms of friendship with Nelson throughout his life. In 1771, he studied with Dr. Zouch, prebend of Durham, at Wycliffe, and in October 1773 went to Trinity College, Cambridge. Owing to a brawl, he soon migrated to Emmanuel as a fellow-commoner, but did not take a degree. In the autumn of 1776, he made, in company with Dr. Michael Lort, his first tour on the Continent and acquired a taste for foreign life and society, which led him to live outside of England. Career Between 1776 and his death, he paid only four brief visits to England (in 1780, 1785, 1786, and 1790). After long sojourns at many foreign courts, Hanson made the acquaintance, in 1780, of Prince Philip of Limbourg, Duke of Holstein, who made him his councillor and knight of his Order of St Philip. Later on, Hanson was made vice-chancellor and knight grand cross of the order, and resided for several years at Ghent. In 1787, he spent some time at the court of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma. In 1789, he visited Naples and saw the Hamiltons, and in 1791, he took up his residence at the court of Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena, with the rank of Brigadier-General and Chamberlain. He had previously become a member of the Royal Academy of Parma. In 1794, he incurred the suspicion of the Austrian government and was compelled to leave the court of Modena, though he retained his office and the friendship of Ercole III until the latter's death in 1803. On arriving at Innsbruck, he was arrested, kept eleven months in confinement, and finally tried at Vienna. On his release, he travelled in Germany, finding favour at various courts, notably at Saxe-Hildburghausen, where he was presented with the family