Which Italian Romantic poet wrote the epic novel 'The Betrothed' (I Promessi Sposi)?

Alessandro Manzoni wrote the Italian historical novel “The Betrothed,” or “I Promessi Sposi.” It follows Renzo and Lucia, a couple whose marriage is obstructed by powerful figures, while placing their personal struggle within Lombardy’s political and religious turmoil.

Manzoni first developed the story after reading a 1627 edict concerning priests who refused to perform requested marriages. He also drew on Giuseppe Ripamonti’s chronicles of Milan. An early version, Fermo e Lucia, was written from 1821 to 1823, then substantially revised before the first publication of I Promessi Sposi in three volumes between 1825 and 1827.

Manzoni continued revising the novel, especially its language. The definitive edition appeared between 1840 and 1842 after he reshaped the prose toward Florentine usage, an important step in debates over modern standard Italian. The story is set chiefly in Lombardy during 1628–1630 and incorporates historical events including the plague of 1630.

The work is often associated with Italian Romanticism and is widely regarded as a foundational Italian historical novel. A common mix-up is to classify it as a medieval work because of its classic status; its setting is instead seventeenth-century northern Italy, under Spanish rule.