Olympia Fulvia Morata
Olympia Fulvia Morata (1526-1555) was an accomplished Italian poet and humanist scholar known for her significant contributions to the intellectual landscape of the Reformation. Born in Ferrara, Italy, she was the daughter of Fulvio Morata, a tutor to the Duke of Ferrara's sons, and received a robust education in Latin and Greek. Her exceptional abilities led her to study at the ducal court, where she impressed many scholars of her time. In 1549 or 1550, she married Andreas Grunthler, a German studying medicine, and the couple fled to Germany to escape the Roman Inquisition, taking her younger brother with them.
While in Germany, Morata tutored her brother in the classics and witnessed the upheaval of war, which forced the family into precarious situations, including seeking refuge in a wine cellar. Eventually, they relocated to Heidelberg, where Morata taught Greek at home. Sadly, her health deteriorated, and she passed away within a year, shortly before her husband and brother also succumbed to the Plague. Morata is primarily recognized for her scholarly letters criticizing the Catholic Church and supporting the Reformation. After her death, some of her writings were preserved and published, most notably in a collection released in the early 21st century, which has contributed to her legacy as a notable figure in the history of humanism and religious reform.
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Subject Terms
Olympia Fulvia Morata
Writer
- Born: c. 1526
- Birthplace: Ferrara, Italy
- Died: 1555
Biography
Olympia Morata was born in Ferrara, Italy about 1526. She was the eldest child of Fulvio Morata, who was a tutor to the sons of the Duke of Ferrara. She was educated by her father for several years, and because she was a clever student, she was invited to the ducal court to study with the Duke’s daughter. Morata was particularly fluent in Latin and Greek, and she impressed many intellectuals with her abilities. Her formal studies ended in 1548, when she was called home because her father was dying.
In 1549 or 1550, Morata married German-born Andreas Grunthler, who had come to Ferrara to study medicine. Not long after their marriage, the couple fled to Germany to avoid the Roman Inquisition, taking Morata’s eight-year-old brother, Emilio, with them. Morata’s sympathy towards the Reformation probably began at court because the Duchess of Ferrara supported the reformers. While in Germany, Morata began to tutor her brother in the classics, and Grunthler became a medical doctor with the Imperial Spanish army, who were stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany.
Between 1553 and 1554, the family was trapped in the middle of a war zone, and at one point they were forced to seek refuge in a wine cellar. Ultimately, they escaped from Schweinfurt, and went to Heidelburg, having lost everything they owned, including some of Morata’s writings. Morata’s husband was able to find a position at the University of Heidelburg, while she taught Greek at home. While in Heidelburg, Morata’s health began to fail, and within the year she had died. Shortly after her death, her husband and brother died from the Plague.
Morata is best known for the scholarly letters that she wrote about the Reformation. Although Morata lost much of her work when she fled Schweinfurt, her huband was able to salvage some of her writings and sent them to a professor, Celio Secondo Curione, at the University of Basel. Curione eventually published three volumes of Morata’s work in 1558, 1562, and 1570. Many of these letters and other writings were translated into English in 2003 in a volume titled Olympia Morata: The Complete Writings of an Italian Heretic.