Orlando Giovanni de Gilead

Photo
Photo by Steve Herring
Information
Registered Name: Orlando Giovanni Resides: Namron Status: Active Joined SCA: 2003
Order of Precedence
Orlando Giovanni
Heraldry
Gules, a septfoil and on a bordure embattled Or an orle sable.

His Excellency, Maestro Orlando Giovanni di Gilead, WSA, MOD

Previously Known As: Roland of Gilead
Nickname(s):
Pronouns:

Offices:

• Local Offices Held
  • Prior Baron of Namron
  • Prior Rapier Marshal, Barony of Wiesenfeuer
  • Prior Rapier Marshal, Barony of Namron
  • Youth Rapier Marshal, Barony of Namron

• Regional Offices Held
  • Prior Rapier Marshal, Northern Region, Ansteorra

• Kingdom Offices Held
  • Emergency Deputy to the Kingdom Rapier Marshal
  • Kingdom Rapier Spear Marshal
  • Kingdom Cut & Thrust Marshal
  • Golden Staff Herald for Jason Drysdale & Margherita de Mantua
  • Kingdom Youth Rapier Marshal: July 2021 - Present

Persona History:

Orlando Giovanni di' Gilead was born the son of a vineyard farmer in the Republic of Florence in the year 1524. The first 18 years of his life were somewhat uneventful but by 1542 most of the northern Italian states were being threatened by the British, Spanish and French bids to control Lombardy, Venice and most of the northern peninsula. In 1543 at the age of 19 Orlando joined the Spanish Imperial forces to repel the French under the Italian commander Prince Ferdinando Sanseverino. He saw his first action in the Battle of Ceresole, helping successfully repel the French before reaching Lombardi.

Later, Orlando returned to Florence, now the capital city of the Dutchy of Tuscany. Having no interest in vineyards or farming, Orlando traveled to Rome. In Rome, Orlando sought and found a mentor in Maestro Camillo Agrippa, a master of both the sword and the sciences. In Rome, he also met his soon to be wife, Lady Caterina.

Caterina Giovanni, originally Caterina Moncada, was also born in 1524 in Sicilia. Although Caterina's family had been of Nobel decent, Sicilia was a colonial holding of Spain and brutally governed by a greedy upper-class during the 16th century. A decade prior to her birth her family was stripped of many of it's titles and most of it's estates. Wishing to escape the oppression of the Spanish, Caterina fled at age 20 to Rome. Eventually, meeting her Husband Orlando.

You Are Bold Don Orlando:

(Letter of Intent to fight in Queen's Champion, for Michelle Chantal de Charente.)

"You are bold, Don Orlando," Her-Majesty-said,
"And you stay up through most of the night;
And yet it’s quite-early when you rise-from-your-bed—
How is it, you are ready to Fight?"

"As a cadet," Don Orlando replied to his Queen,
"I feared it might drive me insane;
but fighting bedraggled and a little bit green,
has worked for me, again and again."

"You are bold," said Queen--Michelle, "As I mentioned before,
and quite skilled in the court and the fray;
Yet you incessantly tell, bawdy-jokes—
should--you be acting this way?"

"As a cadet," said the Don, as he stroked his white scarf,
"I told all my Jokes to Queen Gwen;
her laughter was great and her smile was quite warm—
this inspired me to do it again."

"You are bold," said the Queen, "and your clothes are too gaudy
they make you look like a fop;
Yet you manage to wear, three sets in a weekend—
Pray, when does this silliness stop?"

"As a cadet," said Orlando, "I started to sew,
And argued each seam with my wife;
And now these fine outfits, I have quite a few
Will last me the rest of my life."

"You are bold," said the Queen , "one would hardly suppose
That your sword was but 36 inches;
Yet you slash and you cut and you thrust at your foes—
What made you so awfully vicious?"

"I have answered three questions, and would answer all day,"
but my consort, I-must-Present
inspired by her, and-my-Queen, I must say,
to be Your Champion, is-my-intent!"

Interests:

• Rapier & Chivalric Combat
• Pewter Casting
• Cooking

Timeline of Activity:

Prior Groups:

• Shire of Arenal, Meridies
  

Populace Provided Information:

Reis ap Tuder

(To the tune of, and I use that phrase guardedly, Rock Me Amadeus)

He is the latest Don ever to set foot on this earth.
He was Elric's cadet from the day of his birth.
He could fight with a rapier like Saviolo
And ev'rybody screamed:
Come on, rock me Don Orlando.

He was a superstar, he was dynamite
And whenever he fought he always won his fight
And he drank and he cursed and he joked around
But when the women would shout:
Rock me Don Orlando,
Don Orlando, Don Orlando, Don Orlando,
Don Orlando, Don Orlando, Don Orlando,
Oh oh oh Don Orlando.

With a bottle of wine in one hand
and his lady in the other 'cause he was the Baroness' man
He never stopped to worry what the next day would bring
Because the girls would sing:
Rock me Don Orlando,
Don Orlando, Don Orlando, Don Orlando,
Don Orlando, Don Orlando, Don Orlando,
Oh oh oh Don Orlando.

Angelina Francesca de Nardi

There are SO many stories about Orlando Giovanni. One is his letter of intent for Queen’s Champion for Michelle. He filked Lewis Carol’s poem You are Old Father William and made it out how he became a Don. The especially loved the part about having three sets of clothes and arguing “each seam with my wife”. He’s performed the piece at bardic circles as has Ermagerd. If you’ve never heard it you need to ask for his rendition for it is sure to make you laugh with delight.

Kolfinna Egilsdóttir

Silliness ensues when you chat with Orlando, but you can also count on wise counsel, generous instruction, and a giving spirit.

Kyna Terricsdottir

Orlando Giovanni de Gilead once saved a run away carriage full of geese! He didn’t know there were geese in it at first, he just thought it was a game of chase the carriage. As soon as he stopped the carriage, and found the geese, he fell in love with them! There were 7 Geese in the carriage. The septfoil on his device is an homage to the geese he loved, and lost.

Cornelius Meriläinen

It began one eve, not so long ago.
A festive gathering, how little did we know
That Fate, cruel woman, her will sharp as knives
Would unfurl a plan to confound our lives.
For in that small room, full of merriment and drink,
‘Tween us she did forge a most scandalous link
One moment you were fine, next your heart did sing
On an echoing sound, a metallic ring.

Oh, the look in your eyes is like a bell in my head
Enraptured was I by the words that you said.
If anyone knew these feelings we nurse,
They’d say that our love was a terrible curse.

Your passion, quite vicious, rather cruel upon me
But as you command, I will not judge thee.
For when I’m with you, my knees do feel weak.
How can I deny this pleasure you seek?
Take my head in your hands, if you do so dare
Entwining your fingers through the locks of my hair.
And my lips they do shudder as you open my mouth…
I’ll shall not say more, there be children about.

Oh, the look in your eyes is like a bell in my head,
Enraptured was I by the words that you said.
If anyone knew these feelings we nurse,
They’d say that our love was a terrible curse.

Now forbidden fruit, it tastes oh so sweet.
There’s danger involved each time we do meet.
For you are quite wed and so too am I.
Should we be revealed 'tis true I may die.
But fear not, my love, about what we do.
For better off dead would I be without you.
And should we be discovered? Have no fear of that.
I won’t tell your wife, the Baroness Cat.

Oh, the look in your eyes is like a bell in my head,
Enraptured was I by the words that you said.
If anyone knew these feelings we nurse,
They’d say that our love was a terrible curse.
The look, the words, they ring out like bells.
As you gaze upon me, I see how your… heart… swells.
Yet always we part, a Fate there’s none worse.
Oh truly this love is a terrible curse.

Notable Contributions or Accomplishments:

• Prior Rapier Champion to the Shire of Adlersruhe
• Rapier Champion to the Canton of Skorragarðr
• 2018 Rapier Champion to the Shire of Glaslyn
• Northern Regional Rapier Commander for Gulf Wars (x2)
• Former General of the Ansteorran Rapier Army, Gulf Wars
• Youth Rapier Marshal in Charge, Ansteorra 40th Year

Orlando's Elevation to Master of Defence

Affiliations:

• Married to Baroness Caterina Giovanni di Gilead
• Previously Cadet to Don Elric Dracwin
• Member, House Wolfstar
• Cadets:
  • Veronica di Sanguine
  • Angelina Francesca de Nardi
• Provosts:
  • Cornelius Meriläinen
  • Johann von Aue
• Novice:
  • Katherine Schaefer
• Prior Affiliated Students:
  • Marcus von Fürth

Mundane Information:

Bearer of the Sable Shield of Ansteorra