An undying tradition: the afterlife of Charlemagne in Italy

This chapter explores the enduring success of the figure of Charlemagne and of the narratives connected to the main Carolingian characters after the publication of Ariosto’s Orlando furioso and before the end of the sixteenth century. The main focus will be on new chivalric poems first published from the1530s onwards, but attention will also be paid to the perdurable popularity throughout the century of many ‘classics’ of the chivalric genre, as well as on the dissemination of legends and imagery related to Charlemagne not only through texts, but also through different modes and medias, such as images and oral performances.