Background
Their son, the great poet Torquato Tasso, was born at Sorrento in 1544.
Their son, the great poet Torquato Tasso, was born at Sorrento in 1544.
During the boy"s childhood the prince of Salerno came into collision with the Spanish government of Naples, was outlawed, and was deprived of his hereditary fiefs. Tasso shared in this disaster of his patron. When Bernardo was serving the duke of Milan, Guglielmo Gonzaga, he was appointed governor of Ostiglia.
When, therefore, an opening at the court of Urbino was offered in 1557, Bernardo Tasso gladly accepted lieutenant
He read cantos of his Amadigi to the duchess and her ladies, or discussed the merits of Homer and Virgil, Trissino and Ariosto, with the duke"s librarians and secretaries. He also traveled to Venice to superintend the printing of the Amadigi.
Bernardo Tasso died in Ostiglia, then part of the Duchy of Mantua.