Gerolama Orsini
Encyclopedia
Gerolama Orsini sometimes Girolama Orsini was a member of the House of Orsini and the wife of Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma
. She was the Duchess of Parma by marriage.
was drawn up, and in 1519 the wedding celebrated at Valentano
. Her husband was the illegitimate son of Pope Paul III
and Silvia Ruffino. The couple had five children three of which would have further progeny. Despite a loveless marriage, Gerolama remained a faithful, devoted wife, tolerating Pier Luigi's excesses, brutality, and extravagances with dignity.
When Cardinal Alessandro Farnese became Pope Paul III
in 1534 he made his son Pier Luigi captain-general of the Church and in 1537 duke of Castro and finally in 1545 Duke of Parma and Piacenza. He was murdered in 1547, and Gerolama outlived him by 43 years, dying at the Palazzo Farnese Piacenza
in 1590. She was buried at the Farnese crypt at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
, Parma
.
Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma
Pier Luigi Farnese was the first Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro, from 1545 to 1547.Born in Rome, Pier Luigi was the illegitimate son of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese...
. She was the Duchess of Parma by marriage.
Biography
Born in Rome, she was the daughter of Lodovico Orsini and Giulia Conti. In 1513 an engagement contract between Orsini and Pier Luigi FarnesePier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma
Pier Luigi Farnese was the first Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro, from 1545 to 1547.Born in Rome, Pier Luigi was the illegitimate son of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese...
was drawn up, and in 1519 the wedding celebrated at Valentano
Valentano
thumb|250px|View of Valentano.Valentano is a town and comune of the province of Viterbo, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is 33 km from the provincial capital, Viterbo.left|thumb|220px|Rocca Farnese in Valentano....
. Her husband was the illegitimate son of Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
and Silvia Ruffino. The couple had five children three of which would have further progeny. Despite a loveless marriage, Gerolama remained a faithful, devoted wife, tolerating Pier Luigi's excesses, brutality, and extravagances with dignity.
When Cardinal Alessandro Farnese became Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
in 1534 he made his son Pier Luigi captain-general of the Church and in 1537 duke of Castro and finally in 1545 Duke of Parma and Piacenza. He was murdered in 1547, and Gerolama outlived him by 43 years, dying at the Palazzo Farnese Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
in 1590. She was buried at the Farnese crypt at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata
The Shrine of Santa Maria della Steccata is a Greek-cross design Renaissance church in central Parma, Italy.-History:By 1392, the site held a small oratory to shelter a miraculous image of St. John the Baptist and was neighboring a religious confraternity that had an equally miraculous image of the...
, 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....
.
Issue
- Alessandro Farnese (5 October 1520 – 2 March 1589) never married.
- Vittoria Farnese (1521 - 13 September 1602) married Guidobaldo della Rovere, Duke of UrbinoGuidobaldo II della RovereGuidobaldo II della Rovere was an Italian condottiero, who was Duke of Urbino from 1538 until his death.- Biography :...
and had issue. - Ottavio Farnese, Duke of ParmaOttavio Farnese, Duke of ParmaOttavio Farnese reigned as Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1547 and Duke of Castro from 1545 until his death.-Biography:...
(9 October 1524 – 18 September 1586) married Margaret of ParmaMargaret of ParmaMargaret, Duchess of Parma , Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles V and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst...
and had issue. - Orazio Farnese, Duke of Castro (died 18 July 1558) married Diane de FranceDiane de FranceDiane de France was the natural daughter of Henry II, King of France, and his Piedmontese mistress Filippa Duci. Some sources claim that she was the daughter of Diane de Poitiers....
no issue. - Ranuccio FarneseRanuccio Farnese (Cardinal)Ranuccio Farnese was an Italian prelate, who was Cardinal of Santa Lucia in Messina, Sicily from 1545 to his death in 1565....
(11 August 1530 - 1556) died unmarried.
Titles and styles from marriage
- 31 October 1537 – 16 September 1545 Her Highness the Duchess of Castro
- 16 September 1545 – 10 September 1547 Her Highness the Duchess of Parma
- 10 September 1547 – 1590 Her Highness the Dowager Duchess of Parma