Eleonora of Toledo (1522–1562)
Eleonora of Toledo (* 1522 in Toledo ; † December 17, 1562 in Pisa ), also Eleonora di Toledo (Italian) or Leonor de Toledo (Spanish), was the wife of Cosimo I de 'Medici and from 1539 to her death Duchess of Florence .
Life
Eleonora Álvarez de Toledo was the second daughter of the Marquis of Villafranca and Viceroy of Naples , Don Pedro Álvarez de Toledo from the House of Álvarez de Toledo .
In 1539 the seventeen-year-old was married to Cosimo I, Duke of Tuscany. Together they had a large number of children (eight sons and three daughters), including Francesco and Ferdinando , who later succeeded their father in the reign. Cosimo, who had only recently seized the duchy, the support of his father-in-law, who at the time was one of the most powerful men on the Italian peninsula, came in very handy. In addition, he benefited from the substantial dowry that Eleonora had brought into the marriage and that was used, among other things, to plant the Boboli Gardens in Florence .
Although initially unpopular among the people as a foreigner, she soon gained great influence. On the one hand, she was a patron and supported many artists; on the other hand, as a devout Catholic, she brought the Jesuit order to Florence and had new churches founded. As a capable organizer, she had the confidence of her husband, who often let her act as regent in his absence, which was by no means customary at the time. Eleonora died young in December 1562 during a stay in Pisa together with two of her sons, presumably of malaria .
progeny
- Maria (April 3, 1540 - November 19, 1557)
- Francesco (March 25, 1541 - October 19, 1587), Grand Duke of Tuscany
- Isabella (born August 31, 1542 - † July 16, 1576)
- Giovanni (September 28, 1543 - November 23, 1562), Bishop of Pisa and Cardinal
- Lucrezia (7 June 1545 - 21 April 1562)
- Pietro (Pedricco) (born August 10, 1546 - † June 10, 1547)
- Garzia (July 5, 1547 - December 12, 1562)
- Antonio (* / † 1548)
- Ferdinando (July 30, 1549 - February 3, 1609), Grand Duke of Tuscany
- Anna (* / † 1553)
- Pietro (June 3, 1554 - April 25, 1604)
Portraits of Eleonora of Toledo
- Bronzino : Eleonora of Toledo . 1543. National Gallery, Prague
- Bronzino: Eleonora of Toledo and her son Giovanni , around 1545/46, Uffizi Gallery, Florence
- Bronzino: Eleonora von Toledo , 1560/62, Staatliche Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
- Bronzino: Eleonore of Toledo (1522–1562), Duchess of Tuscany, chest piece , 2nd third of the 16th century, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna , picture gallery
literature
- Konrad Eisenbichler: The cultural world of Eleonora di Toledo duchess of Florence and Siena . Aldershot 2004. ISBN 0-7546-3774-3
- Vanna Arrighi: ELEONORA de Toledo, duchessa di Firenze. In: Fiorella Bartoccini (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 42: Dugoni – Enza. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1993, pp. 437-441.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eleonora of Toledo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Eleonora di Toledo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Grand Duchess of Tuscany |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1522 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Toledo |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 17, 1562 |
| Place of death | Pisa |