Bona of Savoy
Encyclopedia
Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan (10 August 1449 – 23 November 1503) was a the second spouse of Galeazzo Maria Sforza
, Duke of Milan and a member of the noble Italian House of Savoy
. She served as regent of Milan during the minority of her son 1476–1481.
, Savoy
. Her parents were Louis, Duke of Savoy
and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus. She was one of nineteen children. Her many siblings included :
In 1464, she was to have been betrothed to Edward IV of England
, until his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville
was revealed. Bona married Galeazzo Maria Sforza
on 9 May 1468. An alliance between the Sforza and the royal house of France had been rumoured from as early as 1460: and "[i]n June 1464 Bona of Savoy was officially offered to Galeazzo by letters from the King of France and the Duke of Savoy."
Galeazzo and Bona had four children:
In the first encounter Bona and her chief counsellor, Cicco Simonetta
, were victorious, and Ludovico and his brothers were made to leave the city. In order to obtain his re-admission, Ludovico, took advantage of the rivalry between Tassino (the favourite of Bona) and Simonetta. The fall and execution of Simonetta followed. From 1479 the real government of Milan lay in the hands of Ludovico, whose power was further secured in 1480, when he seized his nephew Gian, deprived him of the duchy and assumed control. Consequently, Bona was obliged to leave Milan and Ludovico was left to rule unchallenged.
Bona of Savoy commissioned the Sforza Book of Hours manuscript, which was painted in about 1490 by a famous court artist, Giovan Pietro Birago. She used the book, which contained devotional texts and is considered to be one of the most outstanding treasures of the Italian Renaissance.
Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Galeazzo Maria Sforza was Duke of Milan from 1466 until his death. He was famous for being lustful, cruel and tyrannical....
, Duke of Milan and a member of the noble Italian House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
. She served as regent of Milan during the minority of her son 1476–1481.
Family and marriage
Bona was born in ChambéryChambéry
Chambéry is a city in the department of Savoie, located in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It is the capital of the department and has been the historical capital of the Savoy region since the 13th century, when Amadeus V of Savoy made the city his seat of power.-Geography:Chambéry...
, Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. Her parents were Louis, Duke of Savoy
Louis, Duke of Savoy
Louis I was Duke of Savoy from 1440 until his death.-Life:...
and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus. She was one of nineteen children. Her many siblings included :
- Amadeus IX of Savoy
- Philip II, Duke of Savoy
- Louis of Savoy, Count of GenevaLouis of Savoy, Count of GenevaLouis of Savoy was King of Cyprus, reigning together with and in the right of his wife, Queen Charlotte of Cyprus. He was the second son and namesake of Louis, Duke of Savoy, and his wife Anne of Lusignan, daughter of King Janus of Cyprus...
- Marguerite of SavoyMarguerite of SavoyMargaret of Savoy , also known as Marguerite de Savoie or Margherita di Savoia, was the eldest surviving daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy. She was the wife of Margrave John IV of Montferrat and later the wife of Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, of Brienne, de Ligny, Marle and Soissons...
- Charlotte of SavoyCharlotte of SavoyCharlotte of Savoy was the second wife and only Queen consort of Louis XI of France. She had three surviving children, one of whom succeeded Louis as King Charles VIII of France, with her eldest daughter, Anne of France, acting as his regent.- Family :She was a daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy,...
who married King Louis XILouis XI of FranceLouis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
In 1464, she was to have been betrothed to Edward IV of England
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, until his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
was revealed. Bona married Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Galeazzo Maria Sforza was Duke of Milan from 1466 until his death. He was famous for being lustful, cruel and tyrannical....
on 9 May 1468. An alliance between the Sforza and the royal house of France had been rumoured from as early as 1460: and "[i]n June 1464 Bona of Savoy was officially offered to Galeazzo by letters from the King of France and the Duke of Savoy."
Galeazzo and Bona had four children:
- Gian Galeazzo SforzaGian Galeazzo SforzaGian Galeazzo Sforza was the sixth Duke of Milan.Born in Abbiategrasso, he was only 7 years old when in 1476 his father, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was assassinated and Gian Galeazzo became the Duke of Milan...
(20 June 1469 – 21 October 1494), married his first cousin Isabella of NaplesIsabella of NaplesIsabella of Naples was the daughter of King Alphonse II of Naples by his wife, Ippolita Maria Sforza. From 1489 to 1494, she was the Duchess consort of Milan, and from 1499 to 1524 the Duchess of Bari and Princess of Rossano...
(2 October 1470 – 11 February 1524), by whom he had issue, including Bona SforzaBona SforzaBona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
, Queen consort of King Sigismund I of Poland, who in her turn had six children. - Hermes Maria Sforza (1470–1503), Marquis of TortonaTortonaTortona is a comune of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.-History:...
- Bianca Maria SforzaBianca Maria SforzaBianca Maria Sforza was Holy Roman Empress as the second wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the eldest legitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, by his second wife, Bona of Savoy....
(5 April 1472 – 31 December 1510), in January 1474, married firstly Philibert I, Duke of SavoyPhilibert I, Duke of SavoyPhilibert I , surnamed the Hunter, was the son of Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy and Yolande of Valois. Philibert was Duke of Savoy from 1472 to 1482....
; on 16 March 1494, married secondly, Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Maximilian IMaximilian I, Holy Roman EmperorMaximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
, she had no issue by her two husbands. - Anna SforzaAnna SforzaAnna Sforza was the daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan. She married Alfonso I d'Este, future Duke of Ferrara.-Biography:...
(21 July 1476 – 2 December 1497), married Alfonso I d'EsteAlfonso I d'EsteAlfonso d'Este was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai.-Biography:He was the son of Ercole I d'Este and Leonora of Naples....
, Duke of Ferrara. Anna died while giving birth to her only child, a son, who died shortly after his baptism. Alfonso's second wife was Lucrezia BorgiaLucrezia BorgiaLucrezia Borgia [luˈkrɛtsia ˈbɔrʤa] was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia...
.
Regency
Bona's husband Galeazzo Maria Sforza was assassinated, on 26 December 1476, at the age of 32 by three young noblemen on the porch of the cathedral church of San Stefano in Milan. Galeazzo was succeeded after his 10-year reign by his 7-year-old son Gian Galeazzo Sforza (1469–1494) under the regency of Bona. But dissensions soon arose between the regent and her brother-in-law, Ludovico Maria Sforza, nicknamed "Il Moro" (the Moor).In the first encounter Bona and her chief counsellor, Cicco Simonetta
Cicco Simonetta
Francesco Simonetta was an Italian Renaissance statesman. He also is remembered for composing an early treatise on cryptography.- Biography :...
, were victorious, and Ludovico and his brothers were made to leave the city. In order to obtain his re-admission, Ludovico, took advantage of the rivalry between Tassino (the favourite of Bona) and Simonetta. The fall and execution of Simonetta followed. From 1479 the real government of Milan lay in the hands of Ludovico, whose power was further secured in 1480, when he seized his nephew Gian, deprived him of the duchy and assumed control. Consequently, Bona was obliged to leave Milan and Ludovico was left to rule unchallenged.
Bona of Savoy commissioned the Sforza Book of Hours manuscript, which was painted in about 1490 by a famous court artist, Giovan Pietro Birago. She used the book, which contained devotional texts and is considered to be one of the most outstanding treasures of the Italian Renaissance.