Griselda (folklore)
Griselda (anglicised to Grizzel and similar forms) is a figure in European folklore noted for her patience and obedience. In literature In the most famous version of the Griselda tale, written by Giovanni Boccaccio , Griselda marries Gualtieri, the Marquis of Saluzzo, who tests her by declaring that their two children—a son and a daughter—must both be put to death. Griselda gives both of them up without protest, but Gualtieri does not actually kill the children, instead sending them away to Bologna to be raised. In a final test, Gualtieri publicly renounces Griselda, claiming he had been granted papal dispensation to divorce her and marry a better woman; Griselda goes to live with her father. Some years later, Gualtieri announces he is to remarry and recalls Griselda as a servant to prepare the wedding celebrations. He introduces her to a twelve-year-old girl he claims is to be his bride but who is really their daughter; Griselda wishes them well. At this, Gualtieri reveals their grown children to her and Griselda is restored to her place as wife and mother. Griselda appears in tales by Petrarch (died 1374, Historia Griseldis published 100 years later) and by Chaucer (The Clerk's Tale in