Violante Visconti
Encyclopedia
Violante Visconti (1354 - November 1386) was the second of three children of Galeazzo II Visconti
, Lord of Milan and Pavia
, and Bianca of Savoy
. Her father gave to her the provinces of Alba, Mondovì
, Kenites, Cherasco
and Demonte
as an inheritance.
As a 13-year-old, with the promise of a large dowry from her father, in addition to her territories, she was married to the third son of King Edward III of England, Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, predecessor of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Nascente, Milan, on 28 May 1368. The wedding festivities were lavish and ostentatious. The banquet, held outside, included 30 courses of meat and fish presented fully gilded. Between the courses gifts the guests were given gifts such as suits of armor, bolts of cloth, war horses, arms, and hunting dogs. Among the guests were Geoffrey Chaucer
, Petrarch
, Jean Froissart
and John Hawkwood
. The marriage was short-lived. Lionel died in Alba on 17 October that year, just five months after the wedding. His death may have been due to food poisoning. The Duchess of Clarence had no issue by the Duke.
On 2 August 1377, Violante's father negotiated a second marriage, to Secondotto, Marquess of Montferrat. Sixteen months later, on 16 December 1378, Secondotto was assassinated after a battle at Piacenza (or Asti). They had no issue.
On 18 April 1381, she married a third time to her cousin Ludovico Visconti, lord governor of Lodi and Parma
. He was the son of her paternal uncle Bernabò Visconti
and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala
. They had a son, Giovanni Visconti, who was born after 1382. Barbara Tuchman
suggests that her brother may have killed her third husband.
She was a sister-in-law to Isabelle of Valois, the youngest daughter of King John II of France
. As a niece of Bernabò Visconti
, she was cousin to Valentina Visconti, Queen of Cyprus
and had cousins who married into Austrian and Bavarian nobility, including Viridis Visconti
, grandmother of emperor Frederick III
and Taddea Visconti
, mother of Isabeau of Bavaria
, of France, whose daughters Isabella of Valois and Catherine of Valois
were both Queen consorts of England
.
Violante died in Pavia in November 1386, at the age of 32.
Galeazzo II Visconti
-External links:*...
, Lord of Milan and Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
, and Bianca of Savoy
Bianca of Savoy
Bianca of Savoy was the only surviving daughter of Aimone, Count of Savoy and his wife Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat...
. Her father gave to her the provinces of Alba, Mondovì
Mondovì
Mondovì is a town and comune of Piedmont, northern Italy, located c. 80 km from Turin....
, Kenites, Cherasco
Cherasco
Cherasco is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km southeast of Turin and about 40 km northeast of Cuneo...
and Demonte
Demonte
Demonte is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 90 km southwest of Turin and about 20 km southwest of Cuneo, in the Valle Stura di Demonte....
as an inheritance.
As a 13-year-old, with the promise of a large dowry from her father, in addition to her territories, she was married to the third son of King Edward III of England, Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence
Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Ulster and 5th Baron of Connaught, KG was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, predecessor of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Nascente, Milan, on 28 May 1368. The wedding festivities were lavish and ostentatious. The banquet, held outside, included 30 courses of meat and fish presented fully gilded. Between the courses gifts the guests were given gifts such as suits of armor, bolts of cloth, war horses, arms, and hunting dogs. Among the guests were Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
, Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
, Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart
Jean Froissart , often referred to in English as John Froissart, was one of the most important chroniclers of medieval France. For centuries, Froissart's Chronicles have been recognized as the chief expression of the chivalric revival of the 14th century Kingdom of England and France...
and John Hawkwood
John Hawkwood
Sir John Hawkwood was an English mercenary or condottiero who was active in 14th century Italy. The French chronicler Jean Froissart knew him as Jean Haccoude and Italians as Giovanni Acuto...
. The marriage was short-lived. Lionel died in Alba on 17 October that year, just five months after the wedding. His death may have been due to food poisoning. The Duchess of Clarence had no issue by the Duke.
On 2 August 1377, Violante's father negotiated a second marriage, to Secondotto, Marquess of Montferrat. Sixteen months later, on 16 December 1378, Secondotto was assassinated after a battle at Piacenza (or Asti). They had no issue.
On 18 April 1381, she married a third time to her cousin Ludovico Visconti, lord governor of Lodi and 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....
. He was the son of her paternal uncle Bernabò Visconti
Bernabo Visconti
Bernabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman, who was Lord of Milan.-Life:He was born in Milan, the son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. From 1346 to 1349 he lived in exile, until he was called back by his uncle Giovanni Visconti...
and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala
Beatrice Regina della Scala
Beatrice Regina della Scala was an Italian noblewoman, a member of the Scaliger family of Northern Italy. She was the wife of Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan, and the mother of his seventeen legitimate children.- Family :...
. They had a son, Giovanni Visconti, who was born after 1382. Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American historian and author. She became known for her best-selling book The Guns of August, a history of the prelude to and first month of World War I, which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1963....
suggests that her brother may have killed her third husband.
She was a sister-in-law to Isabelle of Valois, the youngest daughter of King John II of France
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
. As a niece of Bernabò Visconti
Bernabo Visconti
Bernabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman, who was Lord of Milan.-Life:He was born in Milan, the son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. From 1346 to 1349 he lived in exile, until he was called back by his uncle Giovanni Visconti...
, she was cousin to Valentina Visconti, Queen of Cyprus
Valentina Visconti, Queen of Cyprus
Not to be confused with Valentina Visconti, Duchess of OrléansValentina Visconti was a daughter of Bernabò Visconti and his wife Beatrice della Scala...
and had cousins who married into Austrian and Bavarian nobility, including Viridis Visconti
Viridis Visconti
Viridis Visconti was an Italian noblewoman, a daughter of Bernabò Visconti and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala. By her marriage to Leopold III, Duke of Austria, Viridis was Duchess consort of Austria, Styria and Carinthia, she was also Countess consort of Tyrol.- Family :Viridis was born in...
, grandmother of emperor Frederick III
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
and Taddea Visconti
Taddea Visconti
Taddea Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria was an Italian noblewoman of the Visconti family who ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447...
, mother of Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria was Queen consort of France as spouse of King Charles VI of France, a member of the Valois Dynasty...
, of France, whose daughters Isabella of Valois and Catherine of Valois
Catherine of Valois
Catherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
were both Queen consorts of England
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
.
Violante died in Pavia in November 1386, at the age of 32.