Son of Ercole II of Este and Renée of France, he was destined on account of his cadet position to an ecclesiastical career. He was appointed cardinal in 1561, a position that had been promised from birth, but in the meanwhile Luigi had accumulated a rich cultural background and had embarked upon an elegant and costly public life as patron of the arts. A difficult personality and unreserved in his ways, often distant from his brother Alfonso, he tried on a number of occasions to avoid the ecclesiastical pathway that had been carved out for him, and to contract an important marriage, before resigning himself to the administration of his wealth. His role as patron of the arts led him to encourage Ferrara’s pastoral tradition (under his patronage Lollio’s Aretusa was composed and staged in 1561 and Argenti’s Lo sfortunato in 1567) and especially to act as patron to the young Tasso from the end of 1565 onwards. In the service of the Cardinal, to whom he had already dedicated the Rinaldo, Tasso proceeded to compose the Goffredo, in relative peace and amid various court activities. After the journey to France in 1570, he began to move into Duke Alfonso’s orbit. The Cardinal remained at length in Paris, and gave his blessing to Tasso’s transition. They remained on good terms: Tasso addressed the Cardinal also during the time of his confinement, dedicating a number of encomiastic poems to him (as indicated in Rime, 1259-1261).