Ludovico Ariosto was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso (1516-1532). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions into many sideplots. The poem is transformed into a satire of the chivalric tradition. Ariosto composed the poem in the ottava rima rhyme scheme and introduced narrative commentary throughout the work. September 17, 1474 – 1533; died at about 58. Alive at the same time as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Martin Luther, Christopher Columbus, and Niccolò Machiavelli. Wiki link