Pier Maria III de' Rossi
Encyclopedia
Pier Maria III de' Rossi (1504 – 15 August 1547) was an Italian general and nobleman, the second marquess and seventh count of San Secondo
.
, he was a member of the local Rossi noble family, the son of Troilo I de' Rossi and Bianca Riario
, the first daughter of Caterina Sforza
and the half-sister of Giovanni delle Bande Nere. He was also the brother to bishop Giovangirolamo de' Rossi.
He was educated at the Medici
court together with his uncle Giovanni, who had nearly the same age. At his father death (1521), he inherited the family lands as count of San Secondo. In 1523 he married to Camilla Gonzaga, who brought a dowry of 6,000 ducati, jewels, furniture and other assets.
After a first sojourn in France
, Pier Maria returned to Italy and here he defended the family fiefs alongside his uncle. During the siege of Florence (1529-1530), he commanded a corps of the imperial troops
. Under the service of emperor Charles V
, he was at Tunis
in 1535, in Provence
in 1536 and in Albania
in 1537: in reward, he obtained an imperial privilege which granted his lands the independence from the nearby Parma
. In those years he was portrayed by the local painter Parmigianino
, who perhaps also depicted his wife. Both paintings are now at the Museo del Prado
in Madrid
.
In 1542 he entered the service of king Francis I of France
, who named him general and knight of the Order of St. Michael. He also held a correspondence with humanist Pietro Aretino
.
He died in France in 1547.
San Secondo Parmense
San Secondo Parmense is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 200 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northwest of Parma....
.
Biography
Born at San Secondo ParmenseSan Secondo Parmense
San Secondo Parmense is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 200 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northwest of Parma....
, he was a member of the local Rossi noble family, the son of Troilo I de' Rossi and Bianca Riario
Bianca Riario
Bianca Riario was an Italian noblewoman, and the eldest child and only daughter of Caterina Sforza, Lady of Imola, Countess of Forlì, by the latter's first husband, Girolamo Riario, a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV....
, the first daughter of Caterina Sforza
Caterina Sforza
Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forlì was an Italian noblewoman, the illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan and Lucrezia Landriani, the wife of the courtier Gian Piero Landriani, a close friend of the Duke...
and the half-sister of Giovanni delle Bande Nere. He was also the brother to bishop Giovangirolamo de' Rossi.
He was educated at the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
court together with his uncle Giovanni, who had nearly the same age. At his father death (1521), he inherited the family lands as count of San Secondo. In 1523 he married to Camilla Gonzaga, who brought a dowry of 6,000 ducati, jewels, furniture and other assets.
After a first sojourn in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Pier Maria returned to Italy and here he defended the family fiefs alongside his uncle. During the siege of Florence (1529-1530), he commanded a corps of the imperial troops
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. Under the service of emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, he was at Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
in 1535, in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
in 1536 and in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
in 1537: in reward, he obtained an imperial privilege which granted his lands the independence from the nearby Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
. In those years he was portrayed by the local painter Parmigianino
Parmigianino
Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola , also known as Francesco Mazzola or more commonly as Parmigianino or sometimes "Parmigiano", was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma...
, who perhaps also depicted his wife. Both paintings are now at the Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
In 1542 he entered the service of king Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
, who named him general and knight of the Order of St. Michael. He also held a correspondence with humanist Pietro Aretino
Pietro Aretino
Pietro Aretino was an Italian author, playwright, poet and satirist who wielded immense influence on contemporary art and politics and invented modern literate pornography.- Life :...
.
He died in France in 1547.