Matteo Bandello

Author Code: TMBX

Educated at Milan and the University of Pavia, Bandello initially entered the church. He resided for a number of years at Mantua and served as tutor for Lucrezia Gonzaga. When Lombardy fell in 1525, Bandello was forced to flee and lost his home and all of his property. He went to France under the protection of the Italian general Cesare Fregosa. In 1550 he was made bishop of Agen by Henry II and spent the remainder of his years there writing stories. Bandello is credited with inventing the novella and produced over 200 tales which were published between 1554 and 1573. Later translated into French and English, his tales were an inspiration to Shakespeare who used his stories for themes for his own work, such as Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing.