Filippo de' Medici
Encyclopedia
Johanna of Austria
Joanna of Austria was born an Archduchess of Austria as the youngest daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. By marriage, she was the Grand Princess of Tuscany and later the Grand Duchess of Tuscany...
. He was the heir to the Tuscan throne.
Life
Filippo received his name in honour of the King Philip II of SpainPhilip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
. The birth was celebrated with great joy by all the court, because thus was secured the succession of the Grand Duchy for another generation and eliminated all the hopes of Bianca Capello (his father's mistress) to have her "son" Antonio as heir of Tuscany. Filippo became Grand Prince of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
.
His mother died in childbirth in 1578 when he was only one year old. His father then married Bianca Capello. Filippo was one of seven children, but only two of the children survived till adulthood, Eleonora de' Medici
Eleonora de' Medici
Eleonora de' Medici was the eldest child of Francesco I de' Medici and Johanna of Austria. She was a family member of the famous House of Medici.-Family:...
and Marie de' Medici
Marie de' Medici
Marie de Médicis , Italian Maria de' Medici, was queen consort of France, as the second wife of King Henry IV of France, of the House of Bourbon. She herself was a member of the wealthy and powerful House of Medici...
(who became queen consort
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...
of 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...
). He had another sister Anna
Anna de' Medici
Anna de Medici was the third child of Francesco I de' Medici and Johanna of Austria. Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary while her paternal grandparents were Cosimo I de' Medici and Eleonora di Toledo.-Life:In 1578 when Anna was nine her...
who died aged fourteen. Filippo died on 29 March1582; he was four years old, and suffered from hydrocephalus: when his skull was opened, the equivalent of about a glass of water came out. Recent study of his remains have confirmed the diagnosis.