Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara

Lucrezia de' Medici (14 February 1545 – 21 April 1561) was Duchess consort of Ferrara by marriage to Alfonso II d'Este. She was the daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Eleanor of Toledo.

Lucrezia de' Medici
Duchess consort of Ferrara
Portrait attributed to Agnolo Bronzino
Born14 February 1546
Florence
Died21 April 1561(1561-04-21) (aged 16)
Ferrara
Noble familyMedici (by birth)
Este (by marriage)
Spouse(s)
FatherCosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
MotherEleanor of Toledo

Life

Born in Florence, she was the first wife of Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Modena and Ferrara, whom she married on 3 July 1558. She did not move to Ferrara until February 1560, for her husband Alfonso was fighting in France.[1] Lucrezia died in 1561. She was likely poisoned by her husband, the Duke of Ferrara. For about a month her symptoms had been fever, severe weight loss, constant coughing and a permanently bleeding nose.[2]

Legacy

It is possible that she is the wife referred to in the poem "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning.[3]

Ancestry

References and notes

  1. Murphy, Caroline P. Murder of a Medici Princess. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-19-531439-7
  2. Murphy, Caroline P. Murder of a Medici Princess. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-19-531439-7
  3. "Robert Browning wikipedia". Wikipedia. 2020-02-04. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara
Born: 14 February 1545 Died: 21 April 1561
Royal titles
Preceded by
Renée of France
Duchess consort of Ferrara, Modena, and Reggio
3 October 1559 – 21 April 1561
Vacant
Title next held by
Barbara of Austria
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