Ippolita Maria Sforza
Encyclopedia
Ippolita Maria Sforza Duchess of Calabria, was a member of the powerful Italian condottieri
Sforza family which ruled the Duchy of Milan
from 1450 until 1535. She was the first wife of Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, who later reigned as King Alfonso II of Naples
.
on 18 April 1446, the eldest daughter of Francesco I Sforza
, Duke of Milan (23 July 1401 – 6 March 1466) and Bianca Maria Visconti
, Duchess of Milan
(31 March 1425 – 28 October 1468). She had six brothers and one younger sister.
Her paternal grandparents were Muzio Attendolo Sforza, a renowned condottiero, and Lucia di Torsano, and her maternal grandparents were Filippo Maria Visconti
, Duke of Milan and Agnese del Maino
, daughter of Ambrogio del Maino, a Milan
ese nobleman and ducal questore.
, who taught her philosophy and Greek. With her sisters and brothers she was taught in a palace school. When she was 14 years old she made a Latin address to pope Pius II at Mantua
, which became well known after it was circulated in manuscript.
She composed many letters. These have been published in Italy in a single volume entitled, The Letters of Ippolita Maria Sforza, and edited by Serena Castaldo. Previously, in 1893, in Bologna, F. Gabotto published a collection of Ippolita's letters which she had written in Naples from 1475 to 1482.
Apart from letters, she also wrote poetry, like one in Latin after her father died and in which she laments his death.
and Isabella di Chiaramonte, Duchess of Calabria. He would later reign briefly as King Alfonso II of Naples. Ippolita was never crowned Queen consort as her death occurred ten years before Alfonso attained the Neopolitan throne. The marriage of Alfonso and Ippolita was politically advantageous as it created a powerful alliance between the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan, which was one of the most important of the 15th century Italian city-states. Ippolita was Alfonso's first wife. She was unhappy in her marriage as Alfonso openly kept a mistress.
Together, Alfonso and Ippolita had three children:
Ippolita Maria Sforza died at Naples on 20 August 1484 at the age of thirty-eight. Her husband subsequently married his mistress of long-standing, Truzia Gazzela, by whom he already had two illegitimate children, born during his marriage to Ippolita.
There are many portraits of Ippolita in existence, which depict her in various stages of her life; as a baby, in her girlhood, and throughout her marriage up until her death in 1484. The portraits show her to have been pretty, with fine, chiseled features, a round face, high forehead, long wavy blonde hair, and prominent blue eyes. Italian Renaissance
artist, Piero della Francesca
, sculpted a bust of Ippolita.
Condottieri
thumb|Depiction of [[Farinata degli Uberti]] by [[Andrea del Castagno]], showing a 15th century condottiero's typical attire.Condottieri were the mercenary soldier leaders of the professional, military free companies contracted by the Italian city-states and the Papacy, from the late Middle Ages...
Sforza family which ruled the Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
from 1450 until 1535. She was the first wife of Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, who later reigned as King Alfonso II of Naples
Alfonso II of Naples
Alfonso II of Naples , also called Alfonso II d'Aragon, was King of Naples from 25 January 1494 to 22 February 1495 with the title King of Naples and Jerusalem...
.
Family
Ippolita was born in CremonaCremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
on 18 April 1446, the eldest daughter of Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiero, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in Milan, Italy. He was the brother of Alessandro, with whom he often fought.-Early life:...
, Duke of Milan (23 July 1401 – 6 March 1466) and Bianca Maria Visconti
Bianca Maria Visconti
Bianca Maria Visconti was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468.-Early years:Born near Settimo Pavese, Bianca Maria was the illegitimate daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan and last of the Visconti rulers, and Agnese del Maino, the only person the shy, secluded Filippo ever loved...
, Duchess of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
(31 March 1425 – 28 October 1468). She had six brothers and one younger sister.
Her paternal grandparents were Muzio Attendolo Sforza, a renowned condottiero, and Lucia di Torsano, and her maternal grandparents were Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447.-Biography:Filippo Maria Visconti, who had become nominal ruler of Pavia in 1402, succeeded his assassinated brother Gian Maria Visconti as Duke of Milan in 1412. They were the sons of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Gian Maria's predecessor, by...
, Duke of Milan and Agnese del Maino
Agnese del Maino
Agnese del Maino was a Milanese noblewoman and the mistress of Filippo Maria Visconti, the last legitimate Duke of Milan of the Visconti dynasty. Agnese was the mother of Bianca Maria Visconti, who succeeded to the title of Duchess of Milan in 1450, despite her illegitimacy.- Family :Agnese was...
, daughter of Ambrogio del Maino, a Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese nobleman and ducal questore.
Early life and education
Ippolita was a very intelligent and cultured young woman. She was tutored by the Greek scholar and grammarian Constantine LascarisConstantine Lascaris
Constantine Lascaris was a Greek scholar and grammarian, one of the promoters of the revival of Greek learning in the Italian peninsula, born at Constantinople....
, who taught her philosophy and Greek. With her sisters and brothers she was taught in a palace school. When she was 14 years old she made a Latin address to pope Pius II at Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
, which became well known after it was circulated in manuscript.
She composed many letters. These have been published in Italy in a single volume entitled, The Letters of Ippolita Maria Sforza, and edited by Serena Castaldo. Previously, in 1893, in Bologna, F. Gabotto published a collection of Ippolita's letters which she had written in Naples from 1475 to 1482.
Marriage and issue
On 10 October 1465, in Milan, Ippolita, aged nineteen, married Alfonso, Duke of Calabria (4 November 1448 – 18 December 1495), the eldest son of King Ferdinand I of NaplesFerdinand I of Naples
Ferdinand I , also called Don Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. He was the natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon by Giraldona Carlino.-Biography:...
and Isabella di Chiaramonte, Duchess of Calabria. He would later reign briefly as King Alfonso II of Naples. Ippolita was never crowned Queen consort as her death occurred ten years before Alfonso attained the Neopolitan throne. The marriage of Alfonso and Ippolita was politically advantageous as it created a powerful alliance between the Kingdom of Naples and the Duchy of Milan, which was one of the most important of the 15th century Italian city-states. Ippolita was Alfonso's first wife. She was unhappy in her marriage as Alfonso openly kept a mistress.
Together, Alfonso and Ippolita had three children:
- King Ferdinand II of NaplesFerdinand II of NaplesFerdinand II or Ferrante II of Naples , sometimes known as Ferrandino, was King of Naples from 1495 to 1496...
(26 August 1469 – October 1496), married Joan of Naples (15 April 1479 – 27 August 1518) - 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...
, Duchess of Bari (2 October 1470 – 11 February 1524), married her first cousin 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...
, Duke of Milan, by whom she 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...
(13 February 1495 – 7 November 1558) Queen consort of King Sigismund ISigismund ISigismund I may refer to:*Sigismund of Burgundy , King of the Burgundians*Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor *Sigismund, Archduke of Austria *Sigismund of Bavaria , Duke of Bavaria...
of Poland, who in her turn had six children. - Piero of Rossano, Prince of Rossano (31 March 1472 – 17 February 1491), Lieutenant General of Apulia, died of an infection following leg surgery.
Ippolita Maria Sforza died at Naples on 20 August 1484 at the age of thirty-eight. Her husband subsequently married his mistress of long-standing, Truzia Gazzela, by whom he already had two illegitimate children, born during his marriage to Ippolita.
Ippolita Maria Sforza in art
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
artist, Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca was a painter of the Early Renaissance. As testified by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Artists, to contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca is chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting was characterized by its...
, sculpted a bust of Ippolita.