Ruggier , also Ruggiero ( Italian: Ruggiero ) - the character of the Italian epic , who became famous thanks to the poems of Matteo Boyardo " Roland in Love " and Lodovico Ariosto " Raging Roland "; the great Saracen knight who converted to Christianity.
According to the Italian epic tradition, Ruggier is the son of Ruggiero II di Riesa (i.e. Reggio ) and Galaciella, daughter of Agolantus . Ruggier’s father died during the Calabrian campaign of Agolanthe, and Galaciella, in punishment for an unauthorized marriage, was pregnant, immersed in a boat and left to the elements. Departed to the coast of Libya, gave birth to two twins and died in childbirth.
According to Boyardo, Ruggier was raised by the mage Atlant . Boyard, for the first time, portrayed Ruggiere as the ancestor of the dynasty of the Dukes of Ferrara d'Este .
Loving Roland
The king of Africa, Agramant, receives a prediction that his planned campaign against France will not succeed if his cousin, the son of his aunt Galatzella, Ruggier, who is hidden by the magician Atlant somewhere in the spurs of the Atlas mountains, does not take part in it. The search for Ruggier is unsuccessful. The forecaster explains that Atlanta Castle is surrounded by a glass wall and is invisible; you can penetrate it only with the magic ring of Angelica . Behind the ring they send the dwarf Brunel , the illustrious thief. Brunel brings a ring and has been granted a royal title for his services.
The magic ring opens the gaze of Atlanta, but it is impossible to penetrate it - it is protected by a sheer cliff and indestructible glass walls. Brunel gives advice on how to lure Ruggier from impregnable shelter. Following his advice, a tournament is being organized at the foot of the mountain. Indeed, the young man is fascinated by the sight that has opened before him and, despite the pleas and warnings of Atlanta, leaves the mountain. Brunel sets up another bait in front of him - the former Sacrypantian horse - and easily achieves a promise to join Agramant. Ruggier does not want anything so much as to mount a horse, grab a sword and intervene in a crowd of tournament fighters.
Ruggier has no equal in the tournament: no one after the fight with him can not stay in the saddle. One of the opponents treacherously wounds him: an angry Ruggier pays him a mortal blow (breaking tournament laws). At the end of the tournament, Brunel, having received his armor from Ruggier, wants to impersonate the winner. But the armor in him identifies the killer of one of the tournament fighters and Agramant sends him to the gallows. Ruggier intervenes, reveals the truth. Agramant knights Ruggier.
Together with the army of Agramante, Ruggier arrives in France and takes part in the battle of Montalban. There, he witnesses Rodomont ’s clash with Bradamantha and, seeing Rodomont’s unfriendly behavior, challenges him. Rodomont declares himself defeated. Ruggierre reveals to Bradamante his pedigree, dating back to Hector . Bradamanta reveals his face to him. Recognizing a lady in a knight, Ruggier is amazed at her beauty. The Bradmantha is subdued by his valor. Five kings of Saracen attacked Bradamantha, and one of them inflicts a wound on her head, on which there is no helmet. Ruggierre stands up for his interlocutor. All the attackers were killed, but Bradamanta, carried away by the pursuit, was separated from Ruggier.
Furious Roland
Atlas lures Ruggier with a hippogryph, and he carries him west, to the island of the fairies of Alcina. Here Astolf , turned to myrtle, tells him how he got to this island, where Altsina is at enmity with the good Logistilla, and what is the fate of the Altsinin lovers. Ruggier is going to help Logistilla. Along the way, he fights with monsters. In the realm of Alcine, Ruggier should fight with Erifila. He defeats Erifil, Alcine accepts him, Ruggier is kindled by love. They become lovers.
Meanwhile, Bradmantha searches in vain for Ruggier. Melissa comes to her aid. She embarks on the island of Alcine, finds Ruggier and in the image of Atlanta exposes him. Enchantment is falling from Ruggier; he sees Alcina in her present form. Ruggierre walks away from the kingdom of Alcinia. Ruggier defeats Alcinin the Stalker, Alcina chases after Ruggier, and Melissa revives Astolf and her other captives. Ruggierre continues on to Logistilla.
Passing the tower of temptation, Ruggier crosses into the realm of Logistilla. Logistilla takes and lets go of the knights. Ruggier is flying around the world. Above Ebuda, he sees Angelica on a rock, fights with a sea monster, defeats him with a magic shield and carries Angelica on a hippogriff. Angelica with the invisible ring slips away from Ruggier. Ruggier, losing his hippogriff, walks through the forest and sees Bradmantha as a victim of a giant. Chasing the giant, he ends up in Atlanta Castle.
Astolf destroys the spell of Atlanta, and Ruggier and Bradamantha set off to rescue Ricarda. Along the way, Ruggier grabs the knights, defeats them with a magic shield and drowns the shield in the well. Ruggier saves Ricardo from the fire. They learn that Malagis and Vivianu are facing death. Ruggierre volunteers to save them. Together with Marfies they liberate them, and then jump to Paris. Near Paris, Ruggier fights with Mandricard and kills him.
Ruggierre receives a call from his jealous Brafamantes Marfise and is about to fight. They converge at the Atlas tomb, and Atlas from the tomb reveals that Ruggier and Marfiz are brother and sister. They recognize each other, and Ruggierre talks about their father and mother. Marfiza calls on him to avenge his father Agramantha.
However, at the Saracen military council, Ruggier is elected for a duel with Rinald in order to decide the outcome of the war. After the oaths of kings and fighters, the duel begins. Ruggier begins to concede, but the fairy Melissa, under the guise of Rodomont, inclines Agramante to break the fight. The general battle begins, and Agramant flees. After him, hesitating, Ruggier starts. In Marseilles, he finds Dudon with a captive fleet. Having beaten off the fleet, he swims to Africa, but falls into a storm and escapes by swimming, swims out onto a rock and receives baptism from the holy hermit. The hermit prophesies to him about Este's house.
Roland and his comrades come to the island, and Ruggier with them goes to Paris. There it turns out that Bradamanta’s father Amon grabbed her for the Greek prince Leon. Ruggier rides east against Leon, who fights the Bulgars at Belgrade . Ruggier comes to the aid of the Bulgars and, in pursuit of Leon, arrives in the city of Ungiard. Ungiard throws Ruggier into prison, from where Leon rescues him and asks Ruggier to fight for him with Bradamantha.
Bradamanta fights with an unrecognized Ruggier. Leon is declared the winner; Ruggier is hiding. Marfiza announces that Bradmantha and Ruggier are husband and wife, but Amon is firm in resistance. Melissa leads Leon to Ruggier, he exhorts Ruggier, and Ruggier opens to him. Leon is inferior to Ruggier Bradmant, and together they appear to Charlemagne. Ruggierre reveals himself, and he is proclaimed king of Bulgaria. There are preparations for the wedding. Rodomont is and calls Ruggier to fight. Ruggier accepts the challenge and kills Rodomont in battle.