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Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

February 07, 2023

Francesco I (25 March 1541 – 19 October 1587) was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 until his death in 1587. He was a member of the House of Medici.

Biography

 
Francesco I of Tuscany as a young boy, painted by Bronzino.

Born in Florence, Francesco was the son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Eleanor of Toledo.[1] He served as regent for his father Cosimo after he retired from his governing duties in 1564.

Marriage to Joanna of Austria

On 18 December 1565, Francesco married Joanna of Austria, youngest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and his wife Anne of Bohemia and Hungary.[2] By all reports, it was not a happy marriage. Joanna was homesick for her native Austria, and Francesco was neither charming nor faithful. In 1578, Joanna died at the age of thirty-one, after falling down a flight of stairs while pregnant with their eighth child.[3]

Bianca Cappello

Soon after Grand Duchess Joanna had died, Francesco went on to marry his Venetian mistress, Bianca Cappello, 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), rumours spread that Francesco and Bianca had conspired to poison Joanna. Francesco reportedly built and decorated the Villa di Pratolino for Bianca. She was, however, not always popular among Florentines. They had no legitimate children, but Bianca had borne him a son, Antonio (29 August 1576 – 2 May 1621), in his first wife's lifetime. Following the death of Francesco's legitimate son Filippo in 1582, Antonio was proclaimed heir. Francesco also adopted Bianca's daughter by her first marriage, Pellegrina (1564–?).

 
The "Apennine Colossus" in its niche
 
Francesco as a young man in a painting attributed to Alessandro Allori.

Like his father, Francesco was often despotic, but while Cosimo had known how to maintain Florentine independence, Francesco acted more like a vassal of the Habsburgs of Austria and Spain. He continued the heavy taxation of his subjects to pay large sums to the empire.

Francesco had an avid 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. Francesco was also passionately interested in chemistry and alchemy and spent many hours in his private laboratory and curio collection, the Studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio, which held his collections of natural items and stones and allowed him to dabble in chemistry and alchemical schemes.

Francesco and Bianca died on 19 and 20 October, both at the Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano. Although the original death certificates mention malaria, it has been widely speculated that the couple was poisoned, possibly by Francesco's brother Ferdinando.[4] While some early forensic research supported the latter theory,[4] forensic evidence from a study in 2010 found the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes malaria, in the skeletal remains of Francesco I,[5] which strongly bolstered the infection theory and the credibility of the official documents.[6] Francesco was succeeded by his younger brother Ferdinando.

In 1857, all members of the Medici family were exhumed and reburied in the place where they still lie today, the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Florence. The painter Giuseppe Moricci attended the ceremony and depicted Francesco with a facial droop, a right claw hand appearance, the right shoulder internally rotated, the right calf muscle wasted and a right clubfoot confirmed by orthopaedic footwear within the coffin.[7] These are the signs of a right-sided stroke possibly within the internal capsule. The presence of the orthopaedic footwear suggests that this stroke happened significantly before his death. During life, in his official portraits, the grand duke was always depicted as being in perfect physical condition. The cause of his stroke is not known, but malaria is known to cause this condition.

There is a famous portrait of Francesco as a child by Bronzino that 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 in 1658.

Children

Francesco and Joanna had eight children:

  1. Eleonora (28 February 1567 – 9 September 1611), who married Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1562–1612)[8]
  2. Romola (20 November 1568 – 2 December 1568)
  3. Anna (31 December 1569 – 19 February 1584)
  4. Isabella (30 September 1571 – 8 August 1572)
  5. Lucrezia (7 November 1572 – 14 August 1574)
  6. Marie (26 April 1575–3 July 1642), who became Queen of France by her marriage to Henry IV in 1600[9]
  7. Filippo (20 May 1577 – 29 March 1582)
  8. a son, died in a miscarriage

In fiction

References

  1. ^ Henderson 2022, p. 160.
  2. ^ van Veen 2013, p. 190.
  3. ^ Campbell 2021, p. 146.
  4. ^ a b Mari et al. 2006, p. 1299.
  5. ^ Lorenzi 2010.
  6. ^ Fornaciari et al. 2010, p. 568-569.
  7. ^ Arba et al. 2012, p. 589-593.
  8. ^ Boltanski 2006, p. 503.
  9. ^ Beem 2020, p. 98.

Sources

  • Arba, F; Inzitari, D; Barnett, HJ; Lippi, D (2012). "Stroke in Renaissance time: The case of Francesco I de' Medici". Cerebrovascular Diseases. Elsevier. 33(6): 589–593.
  • Beem, Charles (2020). Queenship in Early Modern Europe. Bloomsbury Publishing.
  • Boltanski, Ariane (2006). Les Ducs de Nevers et L'etat Royal: Genese d'un compromis (ca 1550 - ca 1600) (in French). Librairie Droz S.A.
  • Campbell, Katie (2021). Cultivating the Renaissance: A Social History of the Medici Tuscan Villas. Routledge.
  • Fornaciari, Gino; Giuffra, Valentina; Ferroglio, Ezio; Bianucci, Raffaella (2010). Mathiasen, Helle (ed.). (PDF). The American Journal of Medicine. Elsevier. 123, Issue 6: 568–569. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.12.020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2010.
  • Henderson, Paula (2022). "Gardens". In Griffey, Erin (ed.). Early Modern Court Culture. Routledge.
  • Lorenzi, Rosella (2010). . News.discovery.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  • Mari, Francesco; Polettini, Aldo; Lippi, Donatella; Bertol, Elisabetta (2006). "The mysterious death of Francesco I de' Medici and Bianca Cappello: an arsenic murder?". BMJ: British Medical Journal. BMJ. 333 (23–30 June 2006): 1299–1301. doi:10.1136/bmj.38996.682234.AE. PMC 1761188. PMID 17185715.
  • van Veen, Hendrik Thijs (2013). Cosimo I De' Medici and His Self-Representation in Florentine Art and Culture. Cambridge University Press.


External links

  •   Media related to Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany at Wikimedia Commons
  • "The Medici Archive Project", from the Medici Archive Project
  • "The Medici Archive Project Bio Page"
  • , from The Medici Archive Project
  • , from The Medici Archive Project
  • Cawley, Charles, "Ancestors of Leonora Alvarez de Toledo", Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, from Medieval Lands Project
Regnal titles
Preceded by Grand Duke of Tuscany
1574–1587 		Succeeded by

February 07, 2023
francesco, medici, grand, duke, tuscany, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, sc. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Francesco I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Francesco I 25 March 1541 19 October 1587 was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany ruling from 1574 until his death in 1587 He was a member of the House of Medici Francesco I de MediciPortrait by Alessandro Allori c 1580 1585Grand Duke of TuscanyReign21 April 1574 19 October 1587PredecessorCosimo ISuccessorFerdinando IBorn25 March 1541Florence Republic of FlorenceDied19 October 1587 1587 10 19 aged 46 Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano Grand Duchy of TuscanyBurialMedici ChapelSpouseJoanna of AustriaBianca CappelloIssueamong others Eleanor Duchess of Mantua and MontferratAnna de MediciMaria Queen of FrancePhilip Grand Prince of Tuscany illegitimate Don Antonio de MediciHouseMediciFatherCosimo IMotherEleanor of ToledoReligionRoman Catholicism Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Marriage to Joanna of Austria 1 2 Bianca Cappello 2 Children 3 In fiction 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksBiography Edit Francesco I of Tuscany as a young boy painted by Bronzino Born in Florence Francesco was the son of Cosimo I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleanor of Toledo 1 He served as regent for his father Cosimo after he retired from his governing duties in 1564 Marriage to Joanna of Austria Edit On 18 December 1565 Francesco married Joanna of Austria youngest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and his wife Anne of Bohemia and Hungary 2 By all reports it was not a happy marriage Joanna was homesick for her native Austria and Francesco was neither charming nor faithful In 1578 Joanna died at the age of thirty one after falling down a flight of stairs while pregnant with their eighth child 3 Bianca Cappello Edit Soon after Grand Duchess Joanna had died Francesco went on to marry his Venetian mistress Bianca Cappello 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 rumours spread that Francesco and Bianca had conspired to poison Joanna Francesco reportedly built and decorated the Villa di Pratolino for Bianca She was however not always popular among Florentines They had no legitimate children but Bianca had borne him a son Antonio 29 August 1576 2 May 1621 in his first wife s lifetime Following the death of Francesco s legitimate son Filippo in 1582 Antonio was proclaimed heir Francesco also adopted Bianca s daughter by her first marriage Pellegrina 1564 The Apennine Colossus in its niche Francesco as a young man in a painting attributed to Alessandro Allori Like his father Francesco was often despotic but while Cosimo had known how to maintain Florentine independence Francesco acted more like a vassal of the Habsburgs of Austria and Spain He continued the heavy taxation of his subjects to pay large sums to the empire Francesco had an avid 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 Francesco was also passionately interested in chemistry and alchemy and spent many hours in his private laboratory and curio collection the Studiolo in the Palazzo Vecchio which held his collections of natural items and stones and allowed him to dabble in chemistry and alchemical schemes Francesco and Bianca died on 19 and 20 October both at the Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano Although the original death certificates mention malaria it has been widely speculated that the couple was poisoned possibly by Francesco s brother Ferdinando 4 While some early forensic research supported the latter theory 4 forensic evidence from a study in 2010 found the parasite Plasmodium falciparum which causes malaria in the skeletal remains of Francesco I 5 which strongly bolstered the infection theory and the credibility of the official documents 6 Francesco was succeeded by his younger brother Ferdinando In 1857 all members of the Medici family were exhumed and reburied in the place where they still lie today the Basilica of St Lawrence in Florence The painter Giuseppe Moricci attended the ceremony and depicted Francesco with a facial droop a right claw hand appearance the right shoulder internally rotated the right calf muscle wasted and a right clubfoot confirmed by orthopaedic footwear within the coffin 7 These are the signs of a right sided stroke possibly within the internal capsule The presence of the orthopaedic footwear suggests that this stroke happened significantly before his death During life in his official portraits the grand duke was always depicted as being in perfect physical condition The cause of his stroke is not known but malaria is known to cause this condition There is a famous portrait of Francesco as a child by Bronzino that 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 in 1658 Children EditFrancesco and Joanna had eight children Eleonora 28 February 1567 9 September 1611 who married Vincenzo Gonzaga Duke of Mantua 1562 1612 8 Romola 20 November 1568 2 December 1568 Anna 31 December 1569 19 February 1584 Isabella 30 September 1571 8 August 1572 Lucrezia 7 November 1572 14 August 1574 Marie 26 April 1575 3 July 1642 who became Queen of France by her marriage to Henry IV in 1600 9 Filippo 20 May 1577 29 March 1582 a son died in a miscarriageIn fiction EditFrancesco de Medici is a secondary character in John Webster s 1612 play The White DevilReferences Edit Henderson 2022 p 160 van Veen 2013 p 190 Campbell 2021 p 146 a b Mari et al 2006 p 1299 Lorenzi 2010 Fornaciari et al 2010 p 568 569 Arba et al 2012 p 589 593 Boltanski 2006 p 503 Beem 2020 p 98 Sources EditArba F Inzitari D Barnett HJ Lippi D 2012 Stroke in Renaissance time The case of Francesco I de Medici Cerebrovascular Diseases Elsevier 33 6 589 593 Beem Charles 2020 Queenship in Early Modern Europe Bloomsbury Publishing Boltanski Ariane 2006 Les Ducs de Nevers et L etat Royal Genese d un compromis ca 1550 ca 1600 in French Librairie Droz S A Campbell Katie 2021 Cultivating the Renaissance A Social History of the Medici Tuscan Villas Routledge Fornaciari Gino Giuffra Valentina Ferroglio Ezio Bianucci Raffaella 2010 Mathiasen Helle ed Malaria Was the Killer of Francesco I de Medici 1531 1587 PDF The American Journal of Medicine Elsevier 123 Issue 6 568 569 doi 10 1016 j amjmed 2009 12 020 Archived from the original PDF on 29 July 2010 Henderson Paula 2022 Gardens In Griffey Erin ed Early Modern Court Culture Routledge Lorenzi Rosella 2010 Medici Family Cold Case Finally Solved Discovery News News discovery com Archived from the original on 27 February 2011 Retrieved 18 March 2012 Mari Francesco Polettini Aldo Lippi Donatella Bertol Elisabetta 2006 The mysterious death of Francesco I de Medici and Bianca Cappello an arsenic murder BMJ British Medical Journal BMJ 333 23 30 June 2006 1299 1301 doi 10 1136 bmj 38996 682234 AE PMC 1761188 PMID 17185715 van Veen Hendrik Thijs 2013 Cosimo I De Medici and His Self Representation in Florentine Art and Culture Cambridge University Press External links Edit Media related to Francesco I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany at Wikimedia Commons The Medici Archive Project from the Medici Archive Project The Medici Archive Project Bio Page Toledo de Medici Leonor de Eleonora from The Medici Archive Project Osorio Pimentel Maria from The Medici Archive Project Cawley Charles Ancestors of Leonora Alvarez de Toledo Medieval Lands database Foundation for Medieval Genealogy from Medieval Lands ProjectRegnal titlesPreceded byCosimo I de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany1574 1587 Succeeded byFerdinando I de Medici Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Francesco I de 27 Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany amp oldid 1131001782, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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