Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Encyclopedia
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (25 March 1541 – 17 October 1587) was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 to 1587.
Born in Florence
, he was the son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
and Eleonora di Toledo
, and served as regent for his father starting in 1564.
and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
, after among others Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
had been considered. By all reports, it was not a happy marriage. Joanna was homesick for her native Austria, and Francesco was neither charming nor faithful. Joanna died at the age of thirty one in 1578.
, after aptly disposing of her husband, a Florentine bureaucrat. Because of the quick remarriage and similar occurrences among the Medici (Francesco's younger brother Pietro had reportedly killed his wife), rumors spread up that Francesco and Bianca had conspired to poison Joanna. Francesco reportedly built and decorated Villa Medicea di Pratolino for Bianca. She was, however, not always popular among Florentines. They had no children, but Francesco adopted her daughter by first marriage Pellegrina (1564- ?) and her son Antonio (29 August 1576 - 2 May 1621), who was first adopted as newborn child by Bianca Cappello
with the intention to present him to Francesco as "own child" by means of changeling
.
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Like his father, Francesco was often despotic, but while Cosimo had known how to maintain Florentine independence, Francesco acted more like a vassal of his father-in-law, the emperor, and subsequent Holy Roman Emperors. He continued the heavy taxation of his subjects in order to pay large sums to the empire.
He had an amateur's interest in manufacturing and sciences. He founded porcelain and stoneware manufacture, but these did not thrive until after his death. He continued his father's patronage of the arts, supporting artists and building the Medici Theater as well as founding the Accademia della Crusca
. He was also passionately interested in chemistry and alchemy and spent many hours in his private laboratory/curio collection, the Studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio
, which held his collections of natural item and stones and allowed him to dabble in amateur chemistry
and alchemical schemes
.
Francesco and Bianca died on the same day. Although the original death certificates mention malaria, it has been widely speculated that the couple was poisened, possibly by Francesco's brother, Ferdinando. While some early forensic research supported the latter theory, forensic evidence from a study in 2010 found the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes malaria, in the skeletal remains of Francesco I, strongly bolstering the infectious theory and the credibility of the official documents. (The whereabouts of Bianca's remains are unknown and therefore have not been tested.) Francesco was succeeded by his younger brother, Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
.
There is a famous portrait of Francesco as a child by Agnolo Bronzino, which hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
.
Francesco's marriage to Bianca and the couple's death was exploited by Thomas Middleton
for his tragedy Women Beware Women
(published 1657).
Biography
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, he was the son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo I de' Medici was Duke of Florence from 1537 to 1574, reigning as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1569.-Biography:...
and Eleonora di Toledo
Eleonora di Toledo
Eleanor of Toledo Eleanor of Toledo Eleanor of Toledo (Italian: Eleonora di Toledo (1522 – 17 December 1562), born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, was a Spanish noblewoman who was Duchess of Florence from 1539. She is credited with being the first modern first lady, or consort...
, and served as regent for his father starting in 1564.
Marriage to Joanna of Austria
On 18 December 1565, he married Joanna of Austria, youngest daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary
Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, also sometimes known as Anna Jagellonica was, by marriage to Ferdinand I, King of the Romans and later Holy Roman Emperor, Queen of the Romans.-Family:She was the elder child and only daughter of king Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his third...
, after among others Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
Princess Elizabeth of Sweden
Princess Elizabeth of Sweden, , was a Swedish princess and a duchess consort of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch...
had been considered. By all reports, it was not a happy marriage. Joanna was homesick for her native Austria, and Francesco was neither charming nor faithful. Joanna died at the age of thirty one in 1578.
Bianca Cappello
Soon after the Grand Duchess Joanna had died, Francesco went on to marry his Venetian mistress, Bianca CappelloBianca Cappello
Bianca Cappello was an Italian noblewoman who was the mistress, and afterward the second wife, of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.-Biography:...
, after aptly disposing of her husband, a Florentine bureaucrat. Because of the quick remarriage and similar occurrences among the Medici (Francesco's younger brother Pietro had reportedly killed his wife), rumors spread up that Francesco and Bianca had conspired to poison Joanna. Francesco reportedly built and decorated Villa Medicea di Pratolino for Bianca. She was, however, not always popular among Florentines. They had no children, but Francesco adopted her daughter by first marriage Pellegrina (1564- ?) and her son Antonio (29 August 1576 - 2 May 1621), who was first adopted as newborn child by Bianca Cappello
Bianca Cappello
Bianca Cappello was an Italian noblewoman who was the mistress, and afterward the second wife, of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.-Biography:...
with the intention to present him to Francesco as "own child" by means of changeling
Changeling
A changeling is a creature found in Western European folklore and folk religion. It is typically described as being the offspring of a fairy, troll, elf or other legendary creature that has been secretly left in the place of a human child. Sometimes the term is also used to refer to the child who...
.
He had an amateur's interest in manufacturing and sciences. He founded porcelain and stoneware manufacture, but these did not thrive until after his death. He continued his father's patronage of the arts, supporting artists and building the Medici Theater as well as founding the Accademia della Crusca
Accademia della Crusca
The Accademia della Crusca is an Italian society for scholars and Italian linguists and philologists established in Florence. After the Accademia Cosentina, it is the oldest Italian academy still in existence...
. He was also passionately interested in chemistry and alchemy and spent many hours in his private laboratory/curio collection, the Studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany...
, which held his collections of natural item and stones and allowed him to dabble in amateur chemistry
Amateur chemistry
Amateur chemistry or home chemistry is the pursuit of chemistry as a private hobby. It should not be confused with clandestine chemistry, which involves the illicit production of controlled drugs. Notable amateur chemists include Oliver Sacks and Sir Edward Elgar.-Origins:Amateur chemistry shares...
and alchemical schemes
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
.
Francesco and Bianca died on the same day. Although the original death certificates mention malaria, it has been widely speculated that the couple was poisened, possibly by Francesco's brother, Ferdinando. While some early forensic research supported the latter theory, forensic evidence from a study in 2010 found the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes malaria, in the skeletal remains of Francesco I, strongly bolstering the infectious theory and the credibility of the official documents. (The whereabouts of Bianca's remains are unknown and therefore have not been tested.) Francesco was succeeded by his younger brother, Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609, having succeeded his older brother Francesco I.-Biography:...
.
There is a famous portrait of Francesco as a child by Agnolo Bronzino, which hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Francesco's marriage to Bianca and the couple's death was exploited by Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
for his tragedy Women Beware Women
Women Beware Women
Women Beware Women is a Jacobean tragedy written by Thomas Middleton, and first published in 1657.-Date:The date of authorship of the play is deeply uncertain. Scholars have estimated its origin anywhere from 1612 to 1627; 1623–24 has been plausibly suggested...
(published 1657).
Children
Francesco and Johanna had seven children:- EleonoraEleonora de' MediciEleonora 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:...
(1 March 1566 – 9 September 1611), who married Vincenzo I Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1562–1612). - Romola (20 November 1568 – 2 December 1568)
- AnnaAnna de' MediciAnna 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...
(31 December 1569 – 19 February 1584) - Isabella (30 September 1571 – 8 August 1572)
- Lucrezia (7 November 1572 – 14 August 1574)
- MarieMarie de' MediciMarie 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...
(1573–1642), who became Queen of FranceFranceThe 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...
by her marriage to Henri IVHenry IV of FranceHenry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
in 1600. - FilippoFilippo de' MediciFilippo de' Medici was the youngest child of Francesco I de' Medici and Johanna of Austria. He was the heir to the Tuscan throne.-Life:Filippo received his name in honour of the King Philip II of Spain...
(20 May 1577 – 29 March 1582)
Descendants
| Francesco I de' Medici Grand duke of Tuscany |
Daughter: 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... Queen of France |
Granddaughter: Henrietta Maria of France Queen of England |
Great-Grandson: Charles II of England Charles II of England Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War... King of England, Ireland and Scotland |
Ancestry
External links
- "The Medici Archive Project", from The Medici Archive Project
- "The Medici Archive Project Bio Page"
- "Medici Family History"
- "Toledo-de' Medici, Leonor de (Eleonora)", from The Medici Archive Project
- "Osorio Pimentel, María", from The Medici Archive Project
- "Ancestors of Leonora Alvarez de Toledo", from Foundation for Medieval Genealogy