This chapter lays the foundation for our inquiry into the gendered notions of early modern politics by following fifteenth- and sixteenth-century commentators on Aristotle’s practical philosophy as they attempted to define politics. The chapter shows that Renaissance commentators saw the householdas part of the political sphere, and that they were concerned with ‘the social’ in its many aspects. The chapter particularly examines the political nature of the marriage relationship and its connection to the intellectual notion of citizenship. At the centre of our examination are the Florentine commentators Leonardo Bruni, Donato Acciaiuoli, and Bernardo Segni, but a French and a German commentary, as well as a Swiss one on Cicero, also make their appearance.