Few facts are known about the family background of the Italian troubadour and poet known as Sordello (ca. 1180-1269) and some of what comes down to us is wrapped in contradiction. In spite of this sketchy knowledge, he is a recognized hero and the subject of works by Dante and Browning, and an opera by Donizetti. An Italian postal stamp bears his likeness and the main square in the town of Mantua is named "Piazza Sordello."

Sordello is alternately said to be a noble Castellan or the son of a poor knight. In an account written by Stewart Holmes, a general impression of Sordello's life indicates that he was the son of a "poor chevalier," Ser El Corte. His father was of the troupe of the Visconti family of Mantua. The Penguin Companion to European Literature refers to Sordello as a minor noble. Regardless of his family background...