Bianca Cappello
Encyclopedia
Bianca Cappello was an Italian noblewoman who was the mistress, and afterward the second wife, of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
.
families, and was noted for her great beauty.
At the age of fifteen she fell in love with Pietro Bonaventuri, a young Florentine
clerk in the firm of Salviati
, and on November 28, 1563 escaped with him to Florence, where they were married. In 1564 she had a daughter named Virginia, or, according to other sources, Pellegrina. The Venetian government made every effort to have Bianca arrested and brought back; but the Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici
intervened in her favour and she was left unmolested.
However, she did not get on well with her husband's family, who were very poor and made her do menial work, until at last her beauty attracted Francesco
, son of the grand duke. Although already married to Johanna of Austria
(known as "Giovanna" in Italy), he seduced Bianca and gave her jewels, money and other presents. Bianca's husband was given court employment, and consoled himself with other ladies. In 1572 he was murdered in the streets of Florence in consequence of some amorous intrigue, though it is possible that Bianca and Francesco were involved.
On the death of Cosimo in 1574 Francesco succeeded to the grand duchy
; he now installed Bianca in a palace (now known as Palazzo di Bianca Cappello) close to his own and outraged his wife by flaunting his mistress before her. As Giovanna had borne Francesco only one son, Filippo (20 May 1577 – 29 March 1582) who died as a juvenile, and six daughters, of whom, only two lived to adulthood, Bianca was very anxious to present him with an heir, for otherwise her position would remain very insecure. In 1576 she gave birth to Don Antonio de' Medici
(d. 1621), but he was not openly acknowledged as Francesco's heir until after Joanna's death, when the boy was about three years old.
In 1578 Giovanna died; a few months later Francesco secretly married Bianca, and on June 10, 1579, the marriage was publicly announced.Bianca became the new Duchess of Florence. The Venetian government now put aside its resentment and was officially represented at the magnificent wedding festivities, for it saw in Bianca Cappello an instrument for cementing good relations with Tuscany
. But the long expected heir failed to come, and Bianca realized that if her husband were to die before her she was lost, for his family, especially his brother Cardinal Ferdinand
, hated her bitterly, as an adventuress and interloper.
In October 1587, at the Villa Medici in Poggio a Caiano
, Francesco and Bianca died on the same day, possibly poisoned, or as some historians believe, from malarial fever. In 2006, forensic and toxicology experts at the University of Florence reported evidence of arsenic poisoning in a study published in the British Medical Journal, but in 2010 evidence of the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes malaria, was found in Francesco's remains.
The biography of Bianca Cappello was exploited by Thomas Middleton
for his tragedy Women Beware Women
(published 1657).
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 to 1587.- Biography :...
.
Biography
She was born in Venice, in 1548, the daughter of Bartolomeo Cappello and Pellegrina Morosini, a member of one of the richest and noblest VenetianVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
families, and was noted for her great beauty.
At the age of fifteen she fell in love with Pietro Bonaventuri, a young Florentine
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
clerk in the firm of Salviati
Salviati (bankers)
The Salviati were a prominent Florentine-Roman family who in the 15th century were bankers to Pope Sixtus IV. They were among those involved in the Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478, a plot to murder the leading members of the Medici family in Florence...
, and on November 28, 1563 escaped with him to Florence, where they were married. In 1564 she had a daughter named Virginia, or, according to other sources, Pellegrina. The Venetian government made every effort to have Bianca arrested and brought back; but the Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici
Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo I de' Medici was Duke of Florence from 1537 to 1574, reigning as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1569.-Biography:...
intervened in her favour and she was left unmolested.
However, she did not get on well with her husband's family, who were very poor and made her do menial work, until at last her beauty attracted Francesco
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 to 1587.- Biography :...
, son of the grand duke. Although already married to Johanna of Austria
Johanna of Austria
Joanna of Austria was born an Archduchess of Austria as the youngest daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. By marriage, she was the Grand Princess of Tuscany and later the Grand Duchess of Tuscany...
(known as "Giovanna" in Italy), he seduced Bianca and gave her jewels, money and other presents. Bianca's husband was given court employment, and consoled himself with other ladies. In 1572 he was murdered in the streets of Florence in consequence of some amorous intrigue, though it is possible that Bianca and Francesco were involved.
On the death of Cosimo in 1574 Francesco succeeded to the grand duchy
Grand duchy
A grand duchy, sometimes referred to as a grand dukedom, is a territory whose head of state is a monarch, either a grand duke or grand duchess.Today Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy...
; he now installed Bianca in a palace (now known as Palazzo di Bianca Cappello) close to his own and outraged his wife by flaunting his mistress before her. As Giovanna had borne Francesco only one son, Filippo (20 May 1577 – 29 March 1582) who died as a juvenile, and six daughters, of whom, only two lived to adulthood, Bianca was very anxious to present him with an heir, for otherwise her position would remain very insecure. In 1576 she gave birth to Don Antonio de' Medici
Antonio de' Medici
Don Antonio de' Medici , the son of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his mistress Bianca Capello, was a minor figure at the Grand Ducal Medici court....
(d. 1621), but he was not openly acknowledged as Francesco's heir until after Joanna's death, when the boy was about three years old.
In 1578 Giovanna died; a few months later Francesco secretly married Bianca, and on June 10, 1579, the marriage was publicly announced.Bianca became the new Duchess of Florence. The Venetian government now put aside its resentment and was officially represented at the magnificent wedding festivities, for it saw in Bianca Cappello an instrument for cementing good relations with Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
. But the long expected heir failed to come, and Bianca realized that if her husband were to die before her she was lost, for his family, especially his brother Cardinal Ferdinand
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609, having succeeded his older brother Francesco I.-Biography:...
, hated her bitterly, as an adventuress and interloper.
In October 1587, at the Villa Medici in Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano is a town and comune in the Province of Prato, Tuscany region Italy. The town lies 9 km south of the provincial capital of Prato.-The Medici villa:...
, Francesco and Bianca died on the same day, possibly poisoned, or as some historians believe, from malarial fever. In 2006, forensic and toxicology experts at the University of Florence reported evidence of arsenic poisoning in a study published in the British Medical Journal, but in 2010 evidence of the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes malaria, was found in Francesco's remains.
The biography of Bianca Cappello was exploited by Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
for his tragedy Women Beware Women
Women Beware Women
Women Beware Women is a Jacobean tragedy written by Thomas Middleton, and first published in 1657.-Date:The date of authorship of the play is deeply uncertain. Scholars have estimated its origin anywhere from 1612 to 1627; 1623–24 has been plausibly suggested...
(published 1657).
Sources
- Samuele RomaninSamuele RomaninSamuele Romanin was an Italian historian.He was born of a poor Jewish family at Trieste. Being left an orphan at an early age, he provided for his younger brothers and sister by giving French and German lessons. In 1821 he settled in Venice, where he afterwards translated Hammer-Purgstall's...
, Lezioni di storia Veneta, vol. ii (Florence, 1875) - G. E. Saltini, Tragedie Medicee domestiche (Florence, 1898)
- Saltini, Della morte di Francesco de' Medici e di Bianca Cappello (Florence, 1863)
- Elizabeth Clementine StedmanElizabeth Clementine StedmanElizabeth Clementine Stedman was an American writer, a daughter of David L. Dodge, a sister of William E. Dodge and the mother of Edmund Clarence Stedman. She was born in New York City. She was married first to Edmund B. Stedman, a merchant who died in 1835, and was married again, in 1841, to...
, Bianca Capello, A Tragedy (1873) - Steegman, Bianca Cappello (Baltimore, 1913)