Bianca Maria Sforza
Encyclopedia
Bianca 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
.
on 5 April 1472, the eldest daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476), by his second wife, Bona of Savoy (10 August 1449–1503), whom he had married in 1468, a year after the death of his first wife, Dorotea Gonzaga, who did not bear him children. Bianca's paternal grandparents were Francesco I Sforza
and Bianca Maria Visconti
, for whom she was named. Her maternal grandparents were Louis, Duke of Savoy
and Anne de Lusignan of Cyprus. She had an older brother Gian Galeazzo Sforza
, who married their first cousin, Isabella of Naples
, by whom he had issue, and a younger sister Anna Sforza
, first wife of Alfonso I d'Este
, Duke of Ferrara, who, after Anna's death in childbirth, would marry secondly, Lucrezia Borgia
. Bianca's older illegitimate half-sister was Caterina Sforza
from her father's relationship with Lucrezia Landriani
. Her uncle was Ludovico Sforza Il Moro, Duke of Milan
, who married Beatrice d'Este
, and her aunt was Ippolita Maria Sforza
, first wife of King Alfonso II of Naples
.
When Bianca was not yet five years old, her father was assassinated inside the Church of Santo Stefano in Milan on 26 December 1476, which was the Feast Day of St. Stephen. He was stabbed to death by three high-ranking officials of the Milanese court.
(7 August 1465 – 22 April 1482), the son of her uncle Amadeus IX of Savoy, and Yolande of France. Duke Philibert died in the spring of 1482, leaving Bianca a widow at the age of ten. She returned to Milan. She was not given much of an education, but was allowed to indulge her own interests, which was needle work.
On 16 March 1494, in Hall, Tyrol
, she married secondly, the King of the Romans, Maximilian I
, who had been a widower since the tragic death of his much-loved first wife Mary of Burgundy
on 27 March 1482, when she was fatally injured after falling from her horse. Her second marriage was arranged by her uncle, who wanted recognition and the title of Duke confirmed by the Emperor; in exchange, the Emperor received a large dowry along with Bianca. Her magnificent retinue on her way to her wedding aroused much attention.
At her wedding, Bianca wore a bodice with eighty pieces of the jeweler's art pinned thereon, with each piece consisting of one ruby and four pearls, She also brought her husband a rich dowry of 400,000 ducats, and through his marriage, Maximilian was able to assert his right to the Imperial overlordship of Milan. This angered Anne of France
, regent of France for her brother King Charles VIII, and brought about French intervention in Italy, thus inaugurating the lengthy Italian Wars
.
The relationship between Maximilian and Bianca was unhappy: Maximilian said that she may be as beautiful as his first spouse but not as wise. He considered Bianca to be uneducated, overly talkative, naive, wasteful with money, and careless. It happened several times that he left her behind as security when he could not pay for his rooms on trips. He did wish to have children with her, but all their attempts failed: despite Bianca's several pregnancies, none produced a living child. She very much liked his children, but was criticized for forgetting her dignity when she sat on the floor with them to play. After 1500, Maximilian lost all interest in her. She lived with her own court of Milanese people in various castles in the Tirol.
Maximilian took the title of Holy Roman Emperor Elect in 1508. Bianca was, by marriage, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
Bianca had no children of her own. She had two stepchildren from Maximilian's marriage to Mary of Burgundy, Philip the Handsome
(22 June 1478 – 25 September 1506), who married Joanna of Castile
, and Archduchess Margaret of Austria (10 January 1480- 1 December 1530), who married firstly, John, Prince of Asturias and secondly Philibert II, Duke of Savoy
.
Bianca Maria Sforza died at Innsbruck
on 31 December 1510. She was buried at Stams
.
A noteworthy portrait of Bianca Maria Sforza by Ambrogio de Predis hangs in the National Gallery of Art
of the United States in Washington, D.C.
|-
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian 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 was the eldest legitimate daughter of 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....
, Duke of Milan, by his second wife, Bona of Savoy
Bona of Savoy
Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan 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....
.
Family and lineage
Bianca was born in PaviaPavia
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...
on 5 April 1472, the eldest daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476), by his second wife, Bona of Savoy (10 August 1449–1503), whom he had married in 1468, a year after the death of his first wife, Dorotea Gonzaga, who did not bear him children. Bianca's paternal grandparents were 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:...
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...
, for whom she was named. Her maternal grandparents 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 had an older brother Gian Galeazzo Sforza
Gian Galeazzo Sforza
Gian 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...
, who married their first cousin, Isabella of Naples
Isabella of Naples
Isabella 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...
, by whom he had issue, and a younger sister Anna Sforza
Anna Sforza
Anna Sforza was the daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan. She married Alfonso I d'Este, future Duke of Ferrara.-Biography:...
, first wife of Alfonso I d'Este
Alfonso I d'Este
Alfonso 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, who, after Anna's death in childbirth, would marry secondly, Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia 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...
. Bianca's older illegitimate half-sister was 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...
from her father's relationship with Lucrezia Landriani
Lucrezia Landriani
Lucrezia Landriani , was the mistress of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, and the mother of his renowned illegitimate daughter, Caterina Sforza, Lady of Imola, Countess of Forlì...
. Her uncle was Ludovico Sforza Il Moro, Duke of Milan
Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza , was Duke of Milan from 1489 until his death. A member of the Sforza family, he was the fourth son of Francesco Sforza. He was famed as a patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists, and presided over the final and most productive stage of the Milanese Renaissance...
, who married Beatrice d'Este
Beatrice d'Este
Beatrice d'Este , duchess of Milan, one of the most beautiful and accomplished princesses of the Italian Renaissance, was the daughter of Ercole I d'Este and younger sister of Isabella d'Este and Alfonso d'Este....
, and her aunt was Ippolita Maria Sforza
Ippolita Maria Sforza
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...
, first wife of 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...
.
When Bianca was not yet five years old, her father was assassinated inside the Church of Santo Stefano in Milan on 26 December 1476, which was the Feast Day of St. Stephen. He was stabbed to death by three high-ranking officials of the Milanese court.
Marriages
In January 1474, when Bianca was not quite two years old, she married her first cousin Philibert I, Duke of SavoyPhilibert I, Duke of Savoy
Philibert 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....
(7 August 1465 – 22 April 1482), the son of her uncle Amadeus IX of Savoy, and Yolande of France. Duke Philibert died in the spring of 1482, leaving Bianca a widow at the age of ten. She returned to Milan. She was not given much of an education, but was allowed to indulge her own interests, which was needle work.
On 16 March 1494, in Hall, Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
, she married secondly, the King of the Romans, Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian 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...
, who had been a widower since the tragic death of his much-loved first wife Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy
Mary of Burgundy ruled the Burgundian territories in Low Countries and was suo jure Duchess of Burgundy from 1477 until her death...
on 27 March 1482, when she was fatally injured after falling from her horse. Her second marriage was arranged by her uncle, who wanted recognition and the title of Duke confirmed by the Emperor; in exchange, the Emperor received a large dowry along with Bianca. Her magnificent retinue on her way to her wedding aroused much attention.
At her wedding, Bianca wore a bodice with eighty pieces of the jeweler's art pinned thereon, with each piece consisting of one ruby and four pearls, She also brought her husband a rich dowry of 400,000 ducats, and through his marriage, Maximilian was able to assert his right to the Imperial overlordship of Milan. This angered Anne of France
Anne of France
Anne of France was the eldest daughter of Louis XI of France and his second wife, Charlotte of Savoy. Anne was the sister of King Charles VIII of France, for whom she acted as regent during his minority; and of Joan of France, who was briefly queen consort to Louis XII...
, regent of France for her brother King Charles VIII, and brought about French intervention in Italy, thus inaugurating the lengthy Italian Wars
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, most of the major states of Western...
.
The relationship between Maximilian and Bianca was unhappy: Maximilian said that she may be as beautiful as his first spouse but not as wise. He considered Bianca to be uneducated, overly talkative, naive, wasteful with money, and careless. It happened several times that he left her behind as security when he could not pay for his rooms on trips. He did wish to have children with her, but all their attempts failed: despite Bianca's several pregnancies, none produced a living child. She very much liked his children, but was criticized for forgetting her dignity when she sat on the floor with them to play. After 1500, Maximilian lost all interest in her. She lived with her own court of Milanese people in various castles in the Tirol.
Maximilian took the title of Holy Roman Emperor Elect in 1508. Bianca was, by marriage, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.
Bianca had no children of her own. She had two stepchildren from Maximilian's marriage to Mary of Burgundy, Philip the Handsome
Philip I of Castile
Philip I , known as Philip the Handsome or the Fair, was the first Habsburg King of Castile...
(22 June 1478 – 25 September 1506), who married Joanna of Castile
Joanna of Castile
Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain...
, and Archduchess Margaret of Austria (10 January 1480- 1 December 1530), who married firstly, John, Prince of Asturias and secondly Philibert II, Duke of Savoy
Philibert II, Duke of Savoy
Philibert II , surnamed the Handsome or the Good, was the Duke of Savoy from 1497 until his death.-Biography:...
.
Bianca Maria Sforza died at Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
on 31 December 1510. She was buried at Stams
Stams
Stams is a municipality in the Imst district and is located 18.50 km east of Imst, 7 km west of Telfs and 46 km west of Innsbruck on the southern shore of the Inn River...
.
A noteworthy portrait of Bianca Maria Sforza by Ambrogio de Predis hangs in the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
of the United States in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
External links
- Bianca Maria Sforza at the aeiou EncyclopediaAeiou EncyclopediaAEIOU is a free online collection of reference works in both German and English about Austria-related topics.-Background:...
- Portrait of Bianca Maria Sforza at the National Gallery
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