Giglio Gregorio Giraldi

Who was Giglio Gregorio Giraldi?

Giglio Gregorio Giraldi was an Italian scholar and poet.

He was born at Ferrara, where he early distinguished himself by his talents and acquirements.

On the completion of his literary course he removed to Naples, where he lived on familiar terms with Jovianus Pontanus and Sannazaro; and subsequently to Lombardy, where he enjoyed the favour of the Mirandola family. At Milan in 1507 he studied Greek under Chalcondylas; and shortly afterwards, at Modena, he became tutor to Ercole Rangone.

About the year 1514 he removed to Rome, where, under Clement VII, he held the office of apostolic protonotary; but having in the sack of that city, which almost coincided with the death of his patron Cardinal Rangone, lost all his property, he returned in poverty once more to Mirandola, whence again he was driven by the troubles consequent on the assassination of the reigning prince in 1533.

The rest of his life was one long struggle with ill-health, poverty and neglect; and he is alluded to with sorrowful regret by Montaigne in one of his Essais, as having, like Sebastian Castalio, ended his days in utter destitution. He died at Ferrara in February 1552; and his epitaph makes touching and graceful allusion to the sadness of his end.