Tullia d’Aragona, 1510-1556 Tullia d’Aragona, the illegitimate daughter of a cardinal and a courtesan, was known across Italy for her beauty and her skill with words, both in literary and philosophical writing, as well as in social settings. Her main philosophical text is Dialogues on the Infinity of Love, a Neo-Platonist work that discusses the necessity of female sexual and emotional freedom in romantic love. This came at a time when women generally had little autonomy, although the Renaissance had begun to provide a bit more space. She truly practiced as she preached, taking lovers everywhere she went in Italy and driving multiple men to write odes and sonnets to her. She also wrote poetry throughout her life, primarily sonnets, along with one epic poem.