La vestimenta de las mujeres guerreras y de las amazonas en los libros de caballerías italianos

Female warriors and Amazon’s clothing in Italian chivalric novels

Abstract

The essay studies the topic of Amazons and female warriors’ clothing in the Italian chivalric novels, composed in the 16th century by Mambrino Roseo da Fabriano as sequels of the main Spanish chivalric cycles, and published in Venice by Michele Tramezzino. The chivalric romances offer several unforgettable heroines that act as knights, although maintaining their femininity. The Italian sequels expand upon this subject, creating new characters that fit into this category and developing some of the existing ones. The clothing that these women wear identify their ability to pass from the feminine to the masculine universe (and vice versa); furthermore, it also represents a signal of personal and social identity. These elements fulfill a specific narrative function, as they allow to draw some conclusions on the literary representation and inclusion of culturally diverse characters, in a perspective that revises the Spanish chivalric tradition to conform it to the values of the 16th century Italian court.