author
Matteo Maria Boiardo
1440–1494
A Renaissance poet at the court of Ferrara, he is best remembered for Orlando innamorato, the lively epic that helped revive chivalric romance by blending Arthurian adventure with the world of Charlemagne. His work opened the way for later Italian epic poets and still feels full of motion, wonder, and courtly intrigue.
2 Audiobooks
The Orlando Innamorato
by Matteo Maria Boiardo
Orlando innamorato
by Matteo Maria Boiardo
About the author
Born in Scandiano in 1440 or 1441, he came from a noble family and spent much of his youth in Ferrara. Reliable reference sources describe him as a poet and courtier who served the dukes of Este, balancing literary work with public duties.
His best-known poem, Orlando innamorato, gave fresh life to the chivalric epic at a time when the form was losing momentum. Britannica notes that the poem was the first to combine Arthurian and Carolingian traditions in this way, which helps explain why it became such an important bridge to later masterpieces of Italian romance.
He died in Reggio nell’Emilia in December 1494. Even though the poem remained unfinished, his imagination, energy, and taste for adventure made him a lasting figure in Renaissance literature.