Caterina Visconti
Encyclopedia
Caterina Visconti, Duchess of Milan (1361 – 17 October 1404) was a member of the Italian
noble
family Visconti
, which ruled Milan
from 1277 to 1447. She was the second wife of Gian Galeazzo Visconti
, the first Duke of Milan
, and was the mother of two succeeding Dukes of Milan, Gian Maria Visconti
and Filippo Maria Visconti
. Her granddaughter was Bianca Maria Visconti
, who became Duchess of Milan in 1447. Caterina served as Regent of Milan from 1402 to 1404, during her elder son's minority, but due to Gian Maria's suspicion of her alleged treason
(planted in his mind by her enemy, the condottiero
Facino Cane
), he had his mother arrested and imprisoned in the castle of Monza
, where she was presumably poisoned in 1404.
, Lord of Milan, and Beatrice Regina della Scala
(1331 – 18 June 1384). Her paternal grandparents were Stefano Visconti
, Lord of Milan, and Valentina Doria
, and her maternal grandparents were Mastino II della Scala
and Taddea da Carrara.
Her niece, Isabeau of Bavaria
, daughter of her eldest sister, Taddea
, was a Queen consort of France upon her marriage in 1385 to King Charles VI
. Following the murder of her maternal grandfather, Isabeau became one of the most implacable enemies of Caterina's husband Gian Galeazzo and his daughter, Valentina
, Duchess of Orleans.
. The King's tutor and advisor, Sir Simon Burley went to Milan to negotiate, but he had misgivings about the match. Bernabò also rejected it, as he favoured another alliance for his daughter. On 2 October 1380, in the Church of San Giovanni in Conca
, at the age of about nineteen, Caterina married her first cousin, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, whose first wife Isabelle of Valois
had died in 1373 in childbirth, leaving him three sons who all died young, and a daughter, Valentina Visconti
, who, in 1389, married Louis, Duke of Orleans
. From Isabelle, Gian Galeazzo had inherited the title of Count of Vertus in Champagne
.
In 1385, Gian Galeazzo deposed Caterina's father, Bernabò as Lord of Milan. Bernabò was imprisoned at the Castle of Trezzo where he was allegedly poisoned on orders of Gian Galeazzo.
Caterina became the Duchess of Milan on 11 May 1395, when her husband was created the first duke by Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
for 100,000 florins
. To commemorate the event, a missal
was painted by Anovelo da Imbonate, depicting, in the foreground, the kneeling figures of Caterina and Gian Galeazzo. It is now in the library of the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
in Milan.
Her husband granted her the castle of Monza
and the signoria
of Vicenza.
Caterina and her husband commissioned the construction of the Certosa di Pavia
, which began on 27 August 1396.
She and Gian Galeazzo had three children:
Her son Gian Maria was assassinated in 1412 by a group of Milanese Ghibellines. Caterina's second son Filippo Maria succeeded him as Duke of Milan.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
family Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
, which ruled 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 ,...
from 1277 to 1447. She was the second wife of Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti , son of Galeazzo II Visconti and Bianca of Savoy, was the first Duke of Milan and ruled the late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance...
, the first Duke 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...
, and was the mother of two succeeding Dukes of Milan, Gian Maria Visconti
Gian Maria Visconti
Gian Maria Visconti was the second Visconti Duke of Milan, the son of Gian Galeazzo Visconti and Caterina Visconti.-Biography:...
and 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...
. Her granddaughter was 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...
, who became Duchess of Milan in 1447. Caterina served as Regent of Milan from 1402 to 1404, during her elder son's minority, but due to Gian Maria's suspicion of her alleged treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
(planted in his mind by her enemy, the condottiero
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...
Facino Cane
Facino Cane
thumb|Facino Cane.Facino Cane da Casale , born Bonifacio Cane, was an Italian condottiero.-Biography:Cane was born in Casale Monferrato to a noble family....
), he had his mother arrested and imprisoned in the castle of Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
, where she was presumably poisoned in 1404.
Family
Caterina was born in Milan, one of the seventeen children of Bernabò ViscontiBernabo 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...
, Lord of Milan, and 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 :...
(1331 – 18 June 1384). Her paternal grandparents were Stefano Visconti
Stefano Visconti
Stefano Visconti was a member of the House of Visconti that ruled Milan from the 14th to the 15th century. He was the son of Matteo I Visconti....
, Lord of Milan, and Valentina Doria
Doria
Doria, originally de Auria , meaning "the sons of Auria", and then de Oria or d'Oria, is the name of an old and extremely wealthy Genoese family who played a major role in the history of the Republic of Genoa and in Italy, from the 12th century to the 16th century.-Origins:According to legend, a...
, and her maternal grandparents were Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala was lord of Verona. He was a member of the famous Scaliger family of northern Italy.He was the son of Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice da Correggio. At the death of Cangrande I, he and his brother Alberto II were associated in the rule of Verona. Soon, however, Mastino's...
and Taddea da Carrara.
Her niece, 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...
, daughter of her eldest sister, Taddea
Taddea Visconti
Taddea Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria was an Italian noblewoman of the Visconti family who ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447...
, was a Queen consort of France upon her marriage in 1385 to King Charles VI
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
. Following the murder of her maternal grandfather, Isabeau became one of the most implacable enemies of Caterina's husband Gian Galeazzo and his daughter, Valentina
Valentina Visconti
Not to be confused with Valentina Visconti, Queen of CyprusValentina Visconti was the wife of Louis de Valois, Duke of Orléans, a younger brother of Charles VI of France....
, Duchess of Orleans.
Marriage
Early in 1379, a possible marriage was discussed between Caterina and King Richard II of EnglandRichard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
. The King's tutor and advisor, Sir Simon Burley went to Milan to negotiate, but he had misgivings about the match. Bernabò also rejected it, as he favoured another alliance for his daughter. On 2 October 1380, in the Church of San Giovanni in Conca
San Giovanni in Conca
San Giovanni in Conca is a crypt of a former basilica church in Milan, northern Italy. It is now located in the centre of Piazza Missori.-History:...
, at the age of about nineteen, Caterina married her first cousin, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, whose first wife Isabelle of Valois
Isabelle of Valois (1348–1372)
Isabelle of Valois , was a French princess and member of the House of Capet, as well as the wife of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan .- Family :She was the youngest daughter of King John II of France by his first wife Bonne of Bohemia...
had died in 1373 in childbirth, leaving him three sons who all died young, and a daughter, Valentina Visconti
Valentina Visconti
Not to be confused with Valentina Visconti, Queen of CyprusValentina Visconti was the wife of Louis de Valois, Duke of Orléans, a younger brother of Charles VI of France....
, who, in 1389, married Louis, Duke of Orleans
Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans
Louis I was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death. He was also Count of Valois, Duke of Touraine , Count of Blois , Angoulême , Périgord, Dreux, and Soissons....
. From Isabelle, Gian Galeazzo had inherited the title of Count of Vertus in Champagne
Champagne, France
Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...
.
In 1385, Gian Galeazzo deposed Caterina's father, Bernabò as Lord of Milan. Bernabò was imprisoned at the Castle of Trezzo where he was allegedly poisoned on orders of Gian Galeazzo.
Caterina became the Duchess of Milan on 11 May 1395, when her husband was created the first duke by Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty...
for 100,000 florins
Italian coin florin
The Italian florin was a coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard. It had 54 grains of nominally pure gold worth approximately 200 modern US Dollars...
. To commemorate the event, a missal
Missal
A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...
was painted by Anovelo da Imbonate, depicting, in the foreground, the kneeling figures of Caterina and Gian Galeazzo. It is now in the library of the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is a church in Milan, northern Italy.-History:One of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by St. Ambrose in 379-386, in an area where numerous martyrs of the Roman persecutions had been buried. The first name of the church was in fact Basilica...
in Milan.
Her husband granted her the castle of Monza
Monza
Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...
and the signoria
Signoria
A Signoria was an abstract noun meaning 'government; governing authority; de facto sovereignty; lordship in many of the Italian city states during the medieval and renaissance periods....
of Vicenza.
Caterina and her husband commissioned the construction of the Certosa di Pavia
Certosa di Pavia
The Certosa di Pavia Gra-Car , Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of Grace, is a monastery and complex in Lombardy, northern Italy, situated near a small town of the same name in the Province of Pavia, 8 km north of Pavia...
, which began on 27 August 1396.
She and Gian Galeazzo had three children:
- Daughter (June 1385 – 9 July 1385).
- Gian Maria ViscontiGian Maria ViscontiGian Maria Visconti was the second Visconti Duke of Milan, the son of Gian Galeazzo Visconti and Caterina Visconti.-Biography:...
(7 September 1388 – assassinated 16 May 1412), 2nd Duke of Milan, married Antonia MalatestaMalatestaMalatesta may refer to:*The House of Malatesta, an Italian family which ruled over Rimini from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century*Errico Malatesta , an Italian anarchist*Malatesta , a 1970 German film...
, died childless. - Filippo Maria ViscontiFilippo Maria ViscontiFilippo 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...
(23 September 1392 – 13 August 1447), 3rd Duke of Milan, married Beatrice Lascaris di TendaBeatrice Lascaris di TendaBeatrice Lascaris di Tenda or Beatrice de Tende or Beatrix , was an Italian noblewoman who was the wife of Facino Cane, Count of Biandrate and a condottiero, and then wife to Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, who caused her tragic death.-Family:Beatrice was born in 1370 or 1372 or 1376...
, widow of Facino Cane. The marriage was childless and he had her executed on charges of adultery. By his mistress, Agnese del MainoAgnese del MainoAgnese 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...
, he had a daughter, Bianca Maria ViscontiBianca Maria ViscontiBianca 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...
, who succeeded him as Duchess of Milan.
Regency and death
When Gian Galeazzo died of a fever on 3 September 1402, Caterina became Regent for her son Gian Maria who was fourteen years old. The Duchy was riven by strife and numerous revolts as rival factions between Gian Galeazzo's legitimate and illegitimate heirs contested for land and power during her regency. Caterina's faction was led by Francesco Barbavara, Count of Valsesia, and a member of the regency council. The faction led by her enemy, the condottiero Facino Cane, however prevailed; thus he, along with the illegitimate sons of Gian Galeazzo, created doubts about Caterina's loyalty in her son's mind. Convinced of his mother's treachery, Gian Maria had Caterina arrested on 18 August 1404 and imprisoned in her own castle of Monza, where she died on 17 October 1404, allegedly of poisoning. She was about forty-three years old.Her son Gian Maria was assassinated in 1412 by a group of Milanese Ghibellines. Caterina's second son Filippo Maria succeeded him as Duke of Milan.