Virginia de' Medici
Virginia | |
---|---|
Duchy of Modena | |
Spouse |
Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena (m. 1586) |
Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany | |
Mother | Camilla Martelli |
Virginia de' Medici (29 May 1568 – 15 January 1615) was an Italian princess, a member of the
Regent of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1601 during the absence of her husband, she was able to protect the autonomy of the city of Modena from the attacks of the local Podestà and Judge. Her husband's infidelities increased her already erratic behavior and led to a permanent mental illness, which lasted until her death.
Life
Early years
Born in Florence on 29 May 1568,
Virginia was born after the formal resignation of her father of the government on behalf of her half-brother
Despite the controversy about her illegitimate birth and ambiguous position in the Grand Ducal house, Virginia's older brothers began negotiations with the
Marriage and issue
In Florence on 6 February 1586 Virginia married
The union produced ten children, six sons and four daughters:
- Giulia d'Este (1588–1645); died unmarried.
- Princess Isabella of Savoyand had issue.
- Duchess of Modena.
- Luigi d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio and Scandiano (1594–1664), twin with Laura, General at the Imperial army; died unmarried but had illegitimate issue.
- Caterina d'Este (1595–1618); died unmarried.
- Anna Eleonora d'Este (1597–1651); a Poor Clare nun under the name of Sister Angela Caterina and later Abbess of the Monastery of Santa Chiara of Carpi.[10]
- Ippolito d'Este (1599–1647), Knight of the Order of Malta and Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre; died unmarried.
- Niccolo d'Este (1601–1640), Captain at the Imperial Army; married Sveva d'Avalos, no issue.
- Borso d'Este (1605–1657), Colonel at the Imperial Army and later General in the French Army; married Ippolita d'Este(illegitimate daughter of his brother Luigi) and had issue.
- Foresto d'Este (1606–1639), Captain at the Imperial Army; died unmarried.
At the end of February 1586 Virginia and Cesare arrived in Ferrara. They stayed at the Palazzo Diamanti, a gift of Cardinal Luigi d'Este, Cesare's uncle, who later bequeathed him all his possessions. One year later (1587), Virginia became in Marchioness consort of Montecchio after the death of her father-in-law.
After the extinction of the legitimate line of the House of Este with the death of Duke
Mental illness and death
In 1596, Virginia manifested the first signs of mental illness and suffered from this condition until her death.[12] Nevertheless, she coped with her motherly duties with her numerous offspring and showed herself as a clever and far-sighted ruler when in January 1601, in the absence of her husband (who was in Reggio) the heavily pregnant Duchess took the position of Regent. During this time she stopped the attempts of the Podesta and Judge of Modena to deprive her of the government. However, Virginia was unable to control her unpredictable anger fits: when in March 1608 her confessor, the Jesuit Jerome Bondinari, claimed that she was possessed by the devil, the Duchess attacked him violently with shouts and nearly beat him to death with a stick. After this, exorcism sessions were held to cure her, during which it became clear that Virginia's having married against her will set off her mental illness and it worsened due to the infidelities of her husband. The attempts to expel the demons in her ultimately caused Virginia to become completely insane. She only recovered her sense on the day of her death; on her deathbed, she blessed all her children and died peacefully.[a][13]
Virginia died on 15 January 1615 in Modena aged 46; there were rumors that her husband poisoned her.
Notes
References
- ^ a b Georgia Arrivo: Scritture delle donne di casa Medici nei fondi dell’Archivio di Stato di Firenze in: archiviodistato.firenze.it (in Italian) [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ Cesati 1999, p. 136.
- ^ Chiusole 1743, p. 566.
- ^ Elena Fasano Guarini: Cosimo I de' Medici, duca di Firenze, granduca di Toscana - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 30 (1984) in: treccani.it (in Italian) [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ a b Vanna Arrighi: Martelli, Camilla - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 71 (2008)in: treccani.it (in Italian) [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ Siebenkees 1797, p. 119.
- ^ La naissance de l'opéra baroque - Chronologie in: operabaroque.fr (in French) [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ Zuccala 1819, pp. 266–267.
- ^ a b Velia Pellegrino: Lettere d’altri tempi: le lettere del duca Cesare d’Este in: asmo.beniculturali.it (in Italian)[dead link][retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ a b c ESTE (di MONTECCHIO) Duchi di Modena e Reggio in: Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Mediterranea (genmarenostrum.com) [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ Chiusole 1743, p. 574.
- ^ Maurizio Polelli: Gli Este, storia di una famiglia tramite i suoi stemmi in: asmo.beniculturali.it (in Italian)[retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ a b c 1 Grazia Biondi: "Madama mi dispiace a dirvelo, vostra altezza è inspiritata" - Demoni ed esorcisti alla corte di Cesare d'Este in: quaderniestensi.beniculturali.it (in Italian) [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ Edgcumbe Staley: Eleanora degli Albizzi in: The Tragedies of the Medici (historion.net) [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ MODENA CHIESA DI SAN VINCENZO in: royaltyguide.nl [retrieved 21 May 2017].
- ^ BURIAL CHURCHES OF SOVEREIGNS OF MODENA FROM A TO Z in: royaltombs.dk [retrieved 21 May 2017].
Bibliography
- Cesati, Franco (1999). The Medici: story of a European dynasty. Florence: Mandragora. pp. 81, 82, 136, 141. ISBN 978-8-88-595737-4.
- Chiusole, Antonio (1743). La genealogia delle cose piu illustri di tutto il mondo, principiando da Adamo nostro primo Padre, e continuando sino al tempo presente (in Italian). Venice: Giambattista Recurti. pp. 566, 574.
- Siebenkees, Johann Philipp (1797). The life of Bianca Capello, wife of Francesco de Medici. Liverpool: J. M’Creery. pp. 119, 124.
- Zuccala, Giambatista (1819). Della vita di Torquato Tasso libri due (in Italian). Milan: Tipografia di commercio al bocchetto. p. 266.