Elisabetta Visconti
Encyclopedia
Elisabetta Visconti also known as Elisabeth or Elizabeth, was a younger child of Bernabò Visconti
and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala
. Elisabetta was a member of the House of Visconti
.
and was one of the youngest of seventeen children, it is unknown what exact number she was of the seventeen children, her parents both state her in a different order. It is most likely that Elisabetta was the youngest child.
Elisabetta's sister, Taddea Visconti
married Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria
and was mother of Isabeau of Bavaria
, wife of Charles VI of France
. Isabeau was the mother of Charles VII of France
, Catherine, Queen of England
, Isabella, Queen of England and Michelle, Duchess of Valois
.
Elisabetta's maternal grandparents were Mastino II della Scala
and his wife Taddea da Carrara. Her paternal grandparents were Stefano Visconti
and his wife Valentina Doria
.
Elisabetta's father, Bernabò, was a cruel and ruthless despot, and an implacable enemy of the Church. He seized the papal city of Bologna
, rejected the Pope and his authority, confiscated ecclesiastical property, and forbade any of his subjects to have any dealings with the Curia
. He was excommunicated as a heretic
in 1363 by Pope Urban V
, who preached crusade against him. When Bernabò was in one of his frequent rages, only Beatrice Regina was able to approach him.
and his first wife Isabella of Valois. The marriage could not take place due to Gian Galeazzo the Younger's premature death. After his mother, Isabella died, Elisabetta's sister, Caterina Visconti
married Gian Galeazzo the Elder.
John II, Duke of Bavaria
started marriage negotiations between his son, Ernest
and Elisabetta.
The negotiations were successful. Elisabetta was married in Pfaffenhofen
26 January 1395 to Ernest. Two years later, on John's death, the couple became Duke and Duchess of Bavaria-Munich
. The couple had four children:
Before Elisabetta's death in 1432, her son Albert III married secretly the maid Agnes Bernauer
; Ernest issued orders for her to be murdered. She was accused of witchcraft and thrown into the River Danube and drowned. The civil war with his son finally ended with a reconciliation.
Elisabetta died 2 February 1432. She is buried with her husband in Munich
.
Bernabo Visconti
Bernabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman, who was Lord of Milan.-Life:He was born in Milan, the son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. From 1346 to 1349 he lived in exile, until he was called back by his uncle Giovanni Visconti...
and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala
Beatrice Regina della Scala
Beatrice Regina della Scala was an Italian noblewoman, a member of the Scaliger family of Northern Italy. She was the wife of Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan, and the mother of his seventeen legitimate children.- Family :...
. Elisabetta was a member of the House of Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
.
Family
Elisabetta was born in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and was one of the youngest of seventeen children, it is unknown what exact number she was of the seventeen children, her parents both state her in a different order. It is most likely that Elisabetta was the youngest child.
Elisabetta's sister, Taddea Visconti
Taddea Visconti
Taddea Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria was an Italian noblewoman of the Visconti family who ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447...
married Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria
Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria
Duke Stephen III of Bavaria was a Duke of Bavaria since 1375. He was the eldest son of Stephen II and Elizabeth of Sicily.-Family:...
and was mother of Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria was Queen consort of France as spouse of King Charles VI of France, a member of the Valois Dynasty...
, wife of Charles VI of France
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
. Isabeau was the mother of Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
, Catherine, Queen of England
Catherine of Valois
Catherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
, Isabella, Queen of England and Michelle, Duchess of Valois
Michelle of Valois
Michelle of France was a Duchess consort of Burgundy. She was a daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt...
.
Elisabetta's maternal grandparents were Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala was lord of Verona. He was a member of the famous Scaliger family of northern Italy.He was the son of Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice da Correggio. At the death of Cangrande I, he and his brother Alberto II were associated in the rule of Verona. Soon, however, Mastino's...
and his wife Taddea da Carrara. Her paternal grandparents were Stefano Visconti
Stefano Visconti
Stefano Visconti was a member of the House of Visconti that ruled Milan from the 14th to the 15th century. He was the son of Matteo I Visconti....
and his wife Valentina Doria
Doria
Doria, originally de Auria , meaning "the sons of Auria", and then de Oria or d'Oria, is the name of an old and extremely wealthy Genoese family who played a major role in the history of the Republic of Genoa and in Italy, from the 12th century to the 16th century.-Origins:According to legend, a...
.
Elisabetta's father, Bernabò, was a cruel and ruthless despot, and an implacable enemy of the Church. He seized the papal city of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, rejected the Pope and his authority, confiscated ecclesiastical property, and forbade any of his subjects to have any dealings with the Curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
. He was excommunicated as a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
in 1363 by Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V , born Guillaume Grimoard, was Pope from 1362 to 1370.-Biography:Grimoard was a native of Grizac in Languedoc . He became a Benedictine and a doctor in Canon Law, teaching at Montpellier and Avignon...
, who preached crusade against him. When Bernabò was in one of his frequent rages, only Beatrice Regina was able to approach him.
Marriage
Elisabetta was at first promised to Gian Galeazzo, the young son of Gian Galeazzo ViscontiGian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti , son of Galeazzo II Visconti and Bianca of Savoy, was the first Duke of Milan and ruled the late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance...
and his first wife Isabella of Valois. The marriage could not take place due to Gian Galeazzo the Younger's premature death. After his mother, Isabella died, Elisabetta's sister, Caterina Visconti
Caterina Visconti
Caterina Visconti, Duchess of Milan was a member of the Italian noble family Visconti, which ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447. She was the second wife of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the first Duke of Milan, and was the mother of two succeeding Dukes of Milan, Gian Maria Visconti and Filippo Maria Visconti...
married Gian Galeazzo the Elder.
John II, Duke of Bavaria
John II, Duke of Bavaria
Duke John II of Bavaria-Munich , , since 1375 Duke of Bavaria-Munich. He was the third son of Stephen II and Elizabeth of Sicily.-Family:...
started marriage negotiations between his son, Ernest
Ernest, Duke of Bavaria
Ernest of Bavaria-Munich , , from 1397 Duke of Bavaria-Munich.-Biography:Ernest was a son of John II and ruled the duchy of Bavaria-Munich together with his brother William III....
and Elisabetta.
The negotiations were successful. Elisabetta was married in Pfaffenhofen
Pfaffenhofen
Pfaffenhofen is the name ofin Germany:* Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, a town in Bavaria* Pfaffenhofen , in Bavaria* Pfaffenhofen an der Glonn, a municipality in Dachau, Bavaria* a part of the municipality of Altomünster in Dachau, Bavaria...
26 January 1395 to Ernest. Two years later, on John's death, the couple became Duke and Duchess of Bavaria-Munich
Bavaria-Munich
-History:After the death of Stephen II in 1375, his sons Stephen III, Frederick, and John II jointly ruled Bavaria-Landshut. After seventeen years, the brothers decided to formally divide their inheritance. John received Bavaria-Munich, Stephen received Bavaria-Ingolstadt, while Frederick kept...
. The couple had four children:
- Albert III, Duke of BavariaAlbert III, Duke of BavariaAlbert III the Pious of Bavaria-Munich , , since 1438 Duke of Bavaria-Munich. He was born to Ernest, Duke of Bavaria and Elisabetta Visconti, daughter of Bernabò Visconti.-Life:Albert was born in Munich....
(23 March 1401, Munich–29 February 1460, Munich). - Beatrix (ca. 1403–12 March 1447, NeumarktNeumarkt-Places:Austria*Neumarkt am Wallersee, in Salzburg*Neumarkt an der Raab, in Burgenland*Neumarkt an der Ybbs, in Lower Austria*Neumarkt im Hausruckkreis, in the Hausruckviertel, Upper Austria*Neumarkt im Mühlkreis, in the Mühlviertel, Upper Austria...
), married to:- 1424 in Ortenburg Count Hermann III of Cilli;
- 1428 in RiedenburgRiedenburgRiedenburg is a town in the district of Kelheim, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl, northwest of Kelheim and northeast of Ingolstadt.-References:...
Pfalzgraf Johann of Neuburg.
- Elisabeth (ca. 1406–5 March 1468, HeidelbergHeidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
), married to:- 1430 in MainzMainzMainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
Duke Adolf II of BergAdolf II of BergAdolf II of Berg-Hövel , count of Berg, count in Auelgau and Siegburg, Vogt of Werden , was the son of Adolf I of Berg. He married in 1035 Adelheid von Laufen, a daughter of Heinrich II count von Laufen and Ida von Werl-Hövel , and heiress of Hövel/Huvili, Unna, Telgte, Warendorf, etc...
; - 1440 in WormsWorms, GermanyWorms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
Count Hesso of Leiningen.
- 1430 in Mainz
- Amalie (1408–1432), a nun in St. Klara's Cloister in Munich.
Before Elisabetta's death in 1432, her son Albert III married secretly the maid Agnes Bernauer
Agnes Bernauer
Agnes Bernauer was the mistress and perhaps also the first wife of Albert, later Albert III, Duke of Bavaria...
; Ernest issued orders for her to be murdered. She was accused of witchcraft and thrown into the River Danube and drowned. The civil war with his son finally ended with a reconciliation.
Elisabetta died 2 February 1432. She is buried with her husband in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.