Ricciarda Cybo-Malaspina
Encyclopedia
Ricciarda Cybo-Malaspina (1497 – 15 June 1553) was an Italian noblewoman, who was marquess of Massa and lady of Carrara
from 1519 to 1546, and again from May 1547 until her death.
Born in Massa
, she was the daughter of Antonio Alberico II Malaspina and Lucrezia d'Este. His father in 1481 had become marquis of Massa and lord of Carrara
, together with his brother Francesco. After rebelling and feating the latter, and being heirless, Antonio Alberico had named his first daughter, Eleonora, as heir of his lands. Elenora was married to Scipione Fieschi, count of Lavagna
, but she died in 1516. The following Fieschi remarried with Ricciarda: the marriage lasted for four years, until he also died heirless.
After Antonio Alberico's death in 1519, Ricciarda succeeded him. The following year she married to Lorenzo Cybo
, a Genoese nobleman who was a grandson of Pope Innocent VIII
, thus founding the Cybo-Malaspina family, who would hold Massa and Carrara until 1829.
In a period in which Italy was overrun by the war between France
, the Holy Roman Empire
and the Italian petty states, she allied with Emperor Charles V. In 1530, she therefore obtained the imperial permission to associate his husband in the lordship. However, after Lorenzo's betrayals, Ricciarda was able to oust him from government in 1541.
When their son Giulio
came of age, she ceded him the lordship (1546), but she took again the reins after his involvement in a pro-France plot (1547) and his decapitation in 1548. She continued to reign in Massa until her death in 1553. She was succeeded by his other son Alberico.
Signoria di Carrara
The Signoria di Carrara was an Italian feudal state centered in Carrara, in what is now northern Tuscany. It also included the towns of Avenza and Marina di Carrara and the basin of the Carrione river....
from 1519 to 1546, and again from May 1547 until her death.
Born in Massa
Massa
Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....
, she was the daughter of Antonio Alberico II Malaspina and Lucrezia d'Este. His father in 1481 had become marquis of Massa and lord of Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
, together with his brother Francesco. After rebelling and feating the latter, and being heirless, Antonio Alberico had named his first daughter, Eleonora, as heir of his lands. Elenora was married to Scipione Fieschi, count of Lavagna
Lavagna
Lavagna is a fishing port city of c. 13,000 inhabitants in the curving stretch of the Italian Riviera di Levante called the gulf of Tigullio, in the province of Genoa in Liguria. The borgo of Lavagna was an important Ligurian cultural center in the Middle Ages...
, but she died in 1516. The following Fieschi remarried with Ricciarda: the marriage lasted for four years, until he also died heirless.
After Antonio Alberico's death in 1519, Ricciarda succeeded him. The following year she married to Lorenzo Cybo
Lorenzo Cybo
Lorenzo Cybo Malaspina was an Italian general, who was duke of Ferentillo.Born at Sampierdarena , he was the son of Franceschetto Cybo and Maddalena de' Medici: his grandafather was Lorenzo de' Medici and his uncle Pope Leo X...
, a Genoese nobleman who was a grandson of Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII
Pope Innocent VIII , born Giovanni Battista Cybo , was Pope from 1484 until his death.-Early years:Giovanni Battista Cybo was born at Genoa of Greek extraction...
, thus founding the Cybo-Malaspina family, who would hold Massa and Carrara until 1829.
In a period in which Italy was overrun by the war between 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...
, the Holy Roman Empire
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...
and the Italian petty states, she allied with Emperor Charles V. In 1530, she therefore obtained the imperial permission to associate his husband in the lordship. However, after Lorenzo's betrayals, Ricciarda was able to oust him from government in 1541.
When their son Giulio
Giulio I Cybo-Malaspina
Giulio I Cybo-Malaspina was an Italian nobleman, who was marquis of Massa and lord of Carrara from 1546 until 1547.Born in Rome, he was the son of Ricciarda Malaspina and Lorenzo Cybo...
came of age, she ceded him the lordship (1546), but she took again the reins after his involvement in a pro-France plot (1547) and his decapitation in 1548. She continued to reign in Massa until her death in 1553. She was succeeded by his other son Alberico.