Alessandro Ariosto

was Ludovico Ariosto’s younger brother, probably born in Modena between September 1491 and February 1492, the dedicatory of Satire I together with Ludovico da Bagno. In June 1500, by virtue of his father’s testament, Ludovico took on the role of tutor of his younger brothers, among them the young Alessandro, who the older brother had to educate. Of what he did for his younger brothers, so as to allow them to have a suitable position in society, Ludovico wrote in Satire VI to Pietro Bembo, in verses 205-210. In May 1507 Ludovico placed Alessandro, then just fifteen, at the service of cardinal Ippolito d’Este, as a pageboy; in 1512 the cardinal gave him a sum of money, in 1513 he was in Rome with his master whilst in 1517 he was present at the signature of a contract, together with his cousin Alfonso, boasting membership of the cardinal Ippolito’s household. As Ludovico’s courtesan he went twice to Hungary and availed himself of his brother’s help in order to obtain certain benefits. In 1515, after Francesco Zerbinato’s renunciation  to the church of San Materno di Melara, Zerbinato being a member of Ippolito’s family who had fought at Polesella, the cardinal passed Alessandro the church, but he in turn ceded it to Ludovico. After the death of cardinal Ippolito, he probably entered the service of other princes or cardinals. In the decade 1521-1530 he rarely went to Ferrara and entrusted his properties to his brothers. He is recorded as being back in Ferrara as of 1531. In 1532 he became owner of the magna domus of his father Niccolò together with his brothers Galasso and Gabriele. A few years after Ludovico’s death, he in 1538 recognised Ludovico’s illegitimate first born son, Giovanbattista, probably out of hatred for the legitimate Virginio. Alessandro died in Ferrara in 1569, in the condition of ‘priest’. A comment that appears in Orlando Furioso, XL, 4, verse 3 relative to " tre Ariosti" (three Ariostos) who, together with others, speak to the poet about the battle of Polesella might include a reference to Alessandro.