Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere
Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere (born December 31, 1493 in Mantua , † February 13, 1550 in Urbino ) from the house of Gonzaga , Marquis of Mantua, became Duchess of Urbino through her marriage to Francesco Maria I della Rovere , where she - despite changing fate - continued the cultural tradition that had existed since Federico da Montefeltro.
origin
Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere came from the Gonzaga family , who had already taken power in Mantua in 1328 and rose through a persistent policy of "Capitani del Popolo" to margraves in 1433 and dukes in 1530 and subsequently married the first houses in Europe .
She was the eldest daughter of Francesco II Gonzaga , the 4th Margrave of Mantua (1484-1519). This was a famous condottiere who entered the service of the Duchy of Milan in 1484 , then went over to the Republic of Venice and in the battle of Fornovo on July 6, 1495 contributed significantly to the victory over the troops of the French King Charles VIII (1483-1498) . In 1499 he changed sides again and offered his services to the French King Louis XII. and worked for this in 1503 as governor-general in the Kingdom of Naples . In 1509 he fought against Venice, was captured and eventually entered papal services, making him supreme commander of the papal troops ( Gonfaloniere di Santa Romana Chiesa) under Pope Julius II in 1510 .
This was by no means arbitrary, but to protect the independence of his small state from regional rulers such as the Sforza , the Estonians , the Republic of Venice, the Papal States and also from foreign desires ( France , House of Austria ).
Eleonora's mother was Isabella d'Este -Gonzaga, a daughter of Ercole I d'Este , Duke of Ferrara , Modena and Reggio and Eleonora of Aragón , princess of Naples . Isabella is considered to be one of the most fascinating women of the Italian Renaissance, who not only exerted a decisive influence in the field of art and culture, but above all in the complex politics of her time, which led A. Lucio, Isabella's biographer, to admire her as " Macchiavelli in gonella ”. The headline of the catalog of the exhibition on Isabella d´Este in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna reflects the highest praise that was intended for her: “La prima Donna del Mondo”.
Life
Eleonora grew up at the court of Mantua, which her mother Isabella d'Este Gonzaga had made into a cultural center of European standing, and therefore received a varied upbringing, although her mother showed little personal interest in her daughters. At the same time she experienced the problems of Italian politics at the time and the efforts of her father to avert the threats to the rule of his house from different sides by changing coalitions.
Political bargaining chip
It was therefore understandable that Eleonora was also used as part of this strategy in the area of family policy.
It was a difficult time for the Gonzaga family trying to stay out of the war between Venice and the League of Cambrai , closed on December 10, 1508 , which was led by King Louis XII of France . , Emperor Maximilian I , Pope Julius II , the Aragonese King Ferdinand the Catholic , the Hungarian King Vladislav II and the English King Henry VIII .
Both sides tried to win over able generals like Francesco Gonzaga. In the meantime Venice was increasingly on the defensive: the Austrian troops of Emperor Maximilian had occupied Verona , Castelnuovo , Asolo , Cividale and Feltre , while the French troops had already advanced as far as the Mincio river .
The father Eleonoras could finally the joint pressure of Emperor Maximilian I and King Ludwig XII. of France no longer resisted and entered the war against the Republic of Venice.
He was supposed to conquer the city of Legnano in Lombardy , but on the way from Verona to Legnano, on the night of August 8, 1509, he was attacked by Venetian troops in his camp, captured, brought to Venice and imprisoned there. This was a catastrophe for Eleonora and her family, as the heir to the throne was still underage. However, her mother Isabella - supported by her brother-in-law, Cardinal Sigismondo Gonzaga - energetically took over the reign of the margraviate and tried numerous diplomatic steps to free her husband from captivity. At first she succeeded in repelling the attempts by France and Austria, who offered her troops for the "security" of the margravate, but were primarily interested in controlling Mantua.
Meanwhile, the tide turned with the papal league against Venice turning into an alliance between the Pope and Venice against France and Ferrara in the face of the foreign threat. The attitude of Mantua was therefore important and questionable by the fact that Isabella was the sister of Duke Alfonso I d'Este (1505-1535) of Ferrara Modena and Reggio and it was to be feared that this - together with his brother, the Cardinal Ippolito I. d'Este († 1520), the patron of Ludovico Ariosto - Isabella and thus the Margraviate of Mantua could move into an alliance with France. Isabella used this situation to make a family policy move to free her husband from captivity. She turned to Pope Julius II. Della Rovere (1503-1513), who appeared to her as the most reliable partner, and now voted for the marriage of her eldest daughter Eleonora with the Pope's nephew, Francesco Maria I della Rovere , since 1508 Duke von Urbino (* 1490, † Pesaro 1538), to whom she was engaged since 1505. However, she initially refused to hold the young brother Eleonoras, Federico II Gonzaga, as a hostage for the release of her husband. Pope Julius II was impressed by her moves. But not only in a positive sense. In view of the refusal to hand her eldest son over to him, he insulted the Mantuan ambassador, Ludovico Camposanpiero, against the "prima donna del mondo" unflatteringly as "ribalda putana."
Duchess of Urbino
On September 29, 1509, Eleonoras married nineteen-year-old Francesco Maria I. della Rovere (* Senigallia March 22, 1490, † Pesaro poisoned October 20, 1538). Since 1504 he was the adoptive son of the childless Guidobaldo I da Montefeltro , Duke of Urbino (1482–1508) and followed him as Duke after his death in 1508. He received the titles Sovereign Duke of Urbino, 3rd Duke of Sora and Arce (both in the Lazio region ), Count of Montefeltro (in the Marche region), Count of Massa Tabaria, Permanent Papal Vicar of Urbino, Cagli , Gubbio and Assisi , Lord and Papal Vicar of Mondavio (in the Marches), Signore di Senigallia , Mondolfo etc. At the same time he was Prefect (Governor) of Rome and Captain General of the Holy Roman Church in 1502, and in 1508 Gonfaloniere di Santa Romana Chiesa (Supreme Military Commander of the papal troops), 1523 governor general and 1523 captain general of the Venetian armed forces. Eleonora became Duchess of Urbino at the age of 16.
Release of her father
According to Isabella d'Este Gonzaga's plans, the marriage of her daughter Eleonora should be an important step towards the release of her husband from Venetian captivity. She therefore urged Eleonora to persuade her young husband to intervene with his uncle Pope Julius II della Rovere for the release of Francesco II Gonzaga. Francesco Maria I therefore felt obliged to intervene for his captured father-in-law. In February 1510 he traveled to Rome, where he was warmly received. Encouraged by this, he asked the Pope to arrange for his father-in-law to be released. Julius II, who wanted to avoid any appearance of nepotism, reacted differently than expected: with a fit of anger. He accused his nephew of disrupting the negotiation of a settlement with Venice, insulted him and shouted that Francesco Maria probably wanted to assume the role of Cesare Borgia and rule the Pope.
Ultimately, Julius II came to the conclusion that a proven general like Francesco II Gonzaga would be considerably more useful as a commander of papal troops than as a prisoner in Venice. Eleonora Gonzaga's 10-year-old brother Federico II. Gonzaga was left hostage to the Pope. The Pope then had the father released from captivity and within a few weeks - in September 1510 - promoted him from prisoner to "Gonfaloniere di Santa Romana Chiesa", that is, to the highest commanders of the papal troops.
Cultural environment
Urbino, famous as a city that Federico da Montefeltro , Duke of Urbino (1474–1482) - through his cultural interests: architecture (new building of the Palazzo Ducale , the library), his patron (Paolo Uccello, Pedro Berruguete and Piero della Francesca) and its collections - had shaped, was now the home of Eleanoras. She lived in the palace built by Federico and supported her husband in securing his precarious rule over the duchy.
Eleonora could in no way compete with her mother Isabella d'Este Gonzaga in terms of talent and political talent and was also not quite as famous as her aunt, Elisabetta Gonzaga , the wife of Guidobaldo da Montefeltro , Duke of Urbino (1482 -1497/1502, 1503 –1508), who had adopted her husband in 1504. This had maintained an intellectual salon at the court of Urbino, which was reflected in the most famous work of Conte Baldassare Castiglione : "Il libro del Cortegiano". Elisabetta undoubtedly had a formative influence on her niece, as she had reigned for the young duke during the minority and lived with the young couple in Urbino.
When Eleonora and her husband came to Urbino as the new Duchess, the cultural environment in which the Libro del Cortegiano talks took place was very recent, as they took place from 1507. Castiglione - himself a distant relative of Eleanoras - began editing this work around this time, which was not completed until 1528. The patroness of these conversations, Elisabetta Gonzaga, her aunt and mother-in-law, continued to reside in the Palazzo Ducale and continued to maintain her salon. Several participants in the talks were still present: Pietro Bembo (* 1470, † 1547), the philosopher, poet, author of “Gli Asolani” - dedicated to Lucrezia Borgia (!) - and later cardinal, lived at court until 1512 von Urbino, Alfonso Ariosto († 1525), to whom the Cortegiano was originally dedicated (a cousin of the more famous Ludovico Ariosto ), was just as alive as Gasparo Pallavicino marchese di Cortemaggiore († 1511), Ludovico da Canossa, later Bishop of Tricarico and Bayeux († 1532) and Cesare Gonzaga († 1512). Ottaviano Fregoso († 1524) (cousin of her husband) lived in Urbino in exile until 1513 and then became doge of the Republic of Genoa , Federico Fregoso († 1541), whose brother remained connected to the court of Urbino as Bishop of Gubbio the poet Bernardo Accolti, called "l'Unico Aretino", continued to frequent.
The then thirteen year old Eleonora, who came to Urbino as the new Duchess only two years after the talks described by Castiglione, will be honored in the preliminary remarks in the Libro del Cortegiano for the fourth evening of Castiglione, because in her "knowledge, grace, beauty, Unite reason, wisdom, humanity and every other noble custom ".
The young duchess therefore lived at the court of Urbino in a top-class cultural atmosphere, at any rate shared the cultural inclinations of her aunt and, for her part, contributed to maintaining Urbino's reputation as a center of Renaissance culture.
Moved to Pesaro
After the heirless death of Costanzo II. Sforza in 1512, Francesco Maria received the rule of Pesaro through the mediation of the Pope , whereupon he moved his court and the residence of his family from Urbino there. Eleonora lived there in the ducal residence, the Palazzo Ducale built by Alessandro Sforza in the 15th century.
Accustomed to the generosity of the gleaming Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, it was particularly important to her to expand and expand the ducal “country seat” - the so-called “Villa Imperiale” on Monte San Bartolo near Pesaro, which was more like a castle than a Renaissance palace to adapt. Since Leon Battista Alberti , arguably the most ingenious universal artist and architect of his time, was not available, she chose Girolamo Genga , another famous architect (also painter and sculptor), as head of the work, with other famous artists such as Dosso Dossi , whose brother Battista Dossi, Agnolo Bronzino etc. contributed to the design of the rooms. This villa subsequently not only became a ducal summer residence, but also the center of numerous meetings and encounters between contemporary artists and intellectuals.
Expropriation by Pope Leo X.
However, a setback occurred in 1513 when Pope Julius II della Rovere, her husband's uncle, who had previously been discreetly protecting the interests of his family, died.
The catastrophe followed three years later: Pope Leo X from the Medici dynasty (1513-1521) withdrew all his possessions from Francesco Maria I in 1513 and transferred the Duchy of Urbino to his nephew, Lorenzo di Piero de 'Medici (* 1492, † 1519) ), who ruled there until his death in 1519 and was also the unofficial ruler of Florence . Although Lorenzo had inherited little of the genius of his grandfather Lorenzo il Magnifico , he made a significant contribution to European history through his daughter Caterina de 'Medici .
Eleonora and her family therefore had to leave their possessions and dominions and moved in as refugees in Mantua with their father, Margrave Francesco II Gonzaga , without any fortune . This exile was to last six years, because an attempt by Francesco Maria to recapture the Duchy of Urbino from the Medicis in the War of Urbino in 1517 failed. Even the hope of regaining the duchy after the death of Lorenzo di Piero de 'Medici in 1519 was in vain, as Pope Leo X kept it under his control.
Return to Urbino
It was not until 1521 - after the death of Pope Leo X - that Francesco Maria and Eleonora were able to take over the rule of the Duchy of Urbino again and also the rule of Gradara (in the Marche), which Pope Julius II had given his nephew years earlier. Francesco Maria transferred the rule of Gradara to his wife Eleonora.
This was generous, but also a sign, because Eleonora was also mistress of the fort there. Every Italian knows the tragic story of the love and death of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini (da Polenta), the wife of his brother Gianciotto Malatesta, who was caught and killed in this castle. A story that Dante describes in Canto 5 of his Divine Comedy in the second circle of the Inferno with sympathy.
After her husband was supreme commander of the Venetian armed forces from 1523, Eleonore often visited him in Venice . Francesco Maria - probably through the mediation of her father, Francesco II Gonzaga, who considered Titian to be the greatest living painter - got to know and appreciate Tizan personally and commissioned him to make portraits of himself and his wife Eleonore.
These portraits prove the art of Tizan and allow a glimpse into the faces and thus perhaps also into the psychology of the couple - half a millennium after their death.
Eleonora's husband died in 1538, followed by her eldest son, Guidobaldo II della Rovere, as duke. Eleonora, now a Duchess-Widow, became the 4th Duchess of Sora and Arce, Countess of Massa Tabaria, Mistress of Mondavio, San Lorenzo in Campo, Mirabello, Castelvecchio, Castellone and half of Montalfoglio. From her son she received the dominions of Monterado and Mondolfo in 1538, but ceded to him the county of Massa Trabaria in 1539.
Eleonora died in Urbino on February 13, 1550 and was buried there.
Marriage and offspring
Eleonora married in Mantua on September 29, 1509 Francesco Maria I della Rovere , Duke of Urbino etc. (1508–1516 and 1521–1538), (* Senigallia March 22, 1490 , † poisoned Pesaro October 20, 1538 )
Children:
The marriages she arranged for her children show that Eleonora pursued a very deliberate marriage policy to secure rule:
- Guidobaldo II. Della Rovere (* Urbino April 2, 1514 , † Pesaro September 28, 1574 ), Sovereign Duke of Urbino, Count of Montefeltro, Count of Massa Trabaria etc. Permanent papal vicar of Urbino etc. (1538–1574) ⚭ 1 .) October 2, 1539 Giulia Varano, Princess of Camerino (* March 24, 1523, † Urbino February 17, 1547) ⚭ 2.) Rome April 29, 1547 Vittoria Farnese , Princess of Parma and Piacenza (* Rome 1521, † Pesaro.) December 13, 1602)
- Ippolita della Rovere, Princess of Urbino (* approx. 1515, † Naples approx. 1540) ⚭ Don Antonio d´Aragona, 2nd Duke of Montalto (* 1504, † Naples October 6, 1543)
- Giulia della Rovere, Princess of Urbino (* 1527, † Ferrara April 4, 1563) ⚭ 1549 Alfonso d´Este , 1st Marchese di Montevecchio (* March 10, 1527; † November 1, 1587)
- Elisabetta della Rovere, Princess of Urbino (* 1529, † Massa June 6, 1561) ⚭ Rome February 1552 Alberico I. Cybo Malaspina, Sovereign Prince of Massa (capital of the province of Massa Carrara) and Sovereign Margrave of Carrara (* Genoa February 28 1534, † Massa January 18, 1623)
- Giulio Feltrino della Rovere , Prince of Urbino, 5th Duca di Sora and Arce (1539), Lord of Rocca d´Arce, Arpino, Schiavi, Casale, Pescosolido etc. Resigned, Cardinal of the Roman Church (1547); Cardinal priest of San Pietro in Vincoli (1548–1570), Cardinal Bishop of Albano (1570), of Sabina (1570 - 73), of Palestrina (1573–1578), Archbishop of Ravenna (* Mantua April 15, 1533, † Fossombrone 3. September 1578)
bibliography
- Giuseppe Coniglio: I Gonzaga. dall'Oglio editore, Milano 1987, ISBN 88-7718-329-2 .
- Kate Simon: The Gonzaga. A ruling family of the Renaissance. Publishing house Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne 1991, ISBN 3-462-02110-9 .
- Jakob Burckhart: Culture and Art of the Renaissance in Italy. German book club, Berlin.
- Catalog of the exhibition in the Kunsthistorisches Museum: Isabella d´Este, “La prima donna del Mondo”; Princess and patroness of the Renaissance. Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, (no year)
- Will Durant: The Splendor and Decay of the Italian Renaissance. Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne 1985. (special edition)
Individual evidence
- ^ Giuseppe Coniglio: "I Gonzaga", dall'Oglio editore, p. 101 f.
- ^ Catalog of the exhibition in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna about Isabella d´Este, princess and patroness of the Renaissance, Kunsthistorisches Museum, without year, cover sheet
- ^ Giuseppe Coniglio: op. Cit. 192
- ^ Giuseppe Coniglio: op. Cit. P. 198
- ^ Giuseppe Coniglio: op. Cit. P. 203
- ^ Giuseppe Coniglio: op. Cit. P. 198
- ^ Sylvia Ferino: Isabella d'Este, KHM Vienna 1994, pp. 35-37
- ↑ Kate Simon: The Gonzaga. A ruling family of the Renaissance. Verlag Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne, 1991, ISBN 3-462-02110-9 , p. 234
- ↑ Details: See article Villa Imperiale in the Italian Wikipedia.
- ↑ Dante: The Divine Comedy. 5. Song, second circle of the inferno: the voluptuous.
- ↑ Will and Ariel Durant: Cultural History of Mankind. Volume 8, Will Durant: The Splendor and Decay of the Italian Renaissance. Naumann & Göbel Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne, special edition 1985, p. 430.
- ↑ http://www.sardimpex.com/files/DELLA%20ROVERE2.htm ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ della Rovere family
Web links
- http://www.genealogy.euweb.cz/italy/rovere.html :
- http://www.italica.rai.it/rinascimento/parole_chiave/schede/roverefrancmaria.htm
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gonzaga della Rovere, Eleonora |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gonzaga, Eleonora |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duchess of Urbino |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 31, 1493 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mantua |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 13, 1550 |
| Place of death | Urbino |