Ludovico Ariosto was born in Reggio Emilia on September 8, 1474, to Daria Malaguzzi and Niccolò Ariosto, military governor of the city at the time. His father’s service to Duke Ercole I d’Este of Ferrara led the family to Rovigo in 1481, back to Reggio Emilia during the Venice-Ferrara War (1482-1484), and finally to Ferrara in 1484, where he would spend most of his life. The eldest of ten children, Ludovico was initially compelled by his father to study law at the University of Ferrara in 1489, but after five years he was allowed to follow his inclination and dedicate himself to literary studies, which at the time consisted primarily of classical Latin works. During the 1490s Ludovico also frequented the Ferrarese cour

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First published 19 April 2008

Citation: Cavallo, Jo Ann. "Ludovico Ariosto". The Literary Encyclopedia. 19 April 2008.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=146, accessed 21 November 2009.]