Vittoria della Rovere
Encyclopedia
Vittoria della Rovere was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Duke Ferdinando II
. She gave her husband four children, two of which would survive infancy; the future Cosimo III
, Tuscany's longest reigning monarch and Francesco Maria, a prince of the Church
. At the death of her grandfather Francesco Maria della Rovere
she inherited the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro which reverted to her second son, Francesco Maria, at her death. She was later entrusted with the care of her three grandchildren. Her marriage bought in a wealth of treasures into the House of Medici which can today be seen in the Palazzo Pitti
and the Uffizi Gallery
in Florence
.
. Her mother was Claudia de' Medici
, a sister of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
and the Duchess of Mantua
. As an infant it was expected that she would inherit her grandfather's Duchy of Urbino, but Pope Urban VIII
convinced Francesco Maria to resign it to the Papacy
. The duchy was eventually annexed to the Papal States
by Pope Urban VIII
. Instead, she received the Rovere allodial possessions, the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro, and art collection which became her property in 1631 aged nine.
At the age of one, Rovere was betrothed to her Medici first cousin Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany in from 1623. Under the influence of her Medici mother, she was sent to Florence
to be bought up at the Tuscan court. The marriage was arranged by the Grand Duke's grandmother Christina of Lorraine who had been acting as joint regent with her daughter-in-law Maria Maddalena of Austria since 1621. Despite Ferdinando II reaching his majority in 1628, Dowager Grand Duchess Christina remained the power behind the throne till her demise in 1636.
which was offered to the Medici. These rich art collections of the family, now in the Uffizi
and Palazzo Pitti
, thus became the property of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
. Bought up in the convent of Crocetta, Rovere's education was a deeply religious one administered by the Dowager Grand Duchesses who had aligned Tuscany
with the Papal States
. Her education caused her to be ruled by priests in later life much to the annoyance of her liberal
husband.
The marriage was consummated six years after the marriage ceremony and Rovere have birth to a son who died at the age of two days. Another son followed in 1640 but died at birth. Finally in 1642 the couple had another son named Cosimo de' Medici
who was styled the Grand Prince of Tuscany. Under the influence of Rovere, her children also received a deeply Roman catholic education and arguments between the Grand Ducal couple sparked off when there was a disagreement about the education of the Grand Prince. Shortly after the birth of Cosimo, the couple became estranged: Rovere caught her husband and a page, Count Bruto della Molera, in bed together. The sighting caused Rovere to refuse to speak to her husband. However, when she decided to try to come to terms with him, he declined to be reconciled, and it was almost twenty years before their quarrel was properly made up. They briefly reconciled in 1659, which resulted in the birth of their last child, Prince Francesco Maria, in 1660. The estranged couple had at best, an unhappy marriage and agreed to live separately for many years.
Ferdinando II died in 1670 and was thus succeeded by the then Grand Prince as Cosimo III. He had been married to Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
, first cousin of Louis XIV of France
, in 1661 A son, Prince Ferdinano and a daughter, Princess Anna Maria Luisa
were born within four years and weeks after the accession of Cosimo III, Marguerite Louise was pregnant again. Rovere and her haughty daughter-in-law vied with each other for power. Thanks to her influence over her son, it was Rovere who triumphed. Cosimo III went so far as to assign his mother the day to day administration of Tuscany. As a result, Rovere was formally admitted into the Grand Duke’s Consulta, or "Privy Council", leaving an embittered Marguerite Louise to her own devices. The two Grand Duchesses frequently quarrelled over precedence and the Consulta but Cosimo III always took his mothers side which only fuelled the ever growing rages of Orléans. Orléans was left to the supervision of her son the Grand Prince Ferdinando. By early 1671, fighting between Marguerite Louise and Vittoria became so heated that a contemporary remarked that "the Pitti Palace
has become the devil's own abode, and from morn till midnight only the noise of wrangling and abuse could be heard".
Rovere triumphed when news of her daughter-in-laws pending departure to France came in 1674. The Grand Ducal couple decided to separate on the condition that Orléans stay at the Abbey Saint Pierre de Montmartre
in Paris
. Orléans left Tuscany in 1675 never to return. As a result of the abandonment of her children, Rovere was made guardian of her children: Grand Prince Ferdinando, Princess Anna Maria Luisa
and Prince Gian Gastone
.
Retiring from politics, in her old age, she made long stays in the convent of the Montalve, known as Villa La Quiete, as well as in the Villa del Poggio Imperiale where she transferred some of the art collection she had inherited. Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany died in Pisa
in 1694 at the age of seventy-two. She was buried at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence. At her death her son Francesco Maria, Cardinal since 1686, inherited the Rovere duchies. The titles went extinct with the extinction of the House of Medici with the death of her grandson Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
in 1737. Her only granddaughter Electress Palatine Anna Maria Luisa
willed the contents of the Medici
properties to the Tuscan state in 1743. The so called the Family Pact ensured that Medicean art and treasures spanning over nearly three centuries would remain in in Florence along with what was once Rovere's inheritance.
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Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando II de' Medici was grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest child of Cosimo II de' Medici and Maria Maddalena of Austria. His 49 year rule was punctuated by the terminations of the remaining operations of the Medici Bank, and the beginning of Tuscany's long economic...
. She gave her husband four children, two of which would survive infancy; the future Cosimo III
Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo III de' Medici was the penultimate Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. Cosimo's 53-year long reign, the longest in Tuscan history, was marked by a series of ultra-reactionary laws which regulated prostitution and...
, Tuscany's longest reigning monarch and Francesco Maria, a prince of the Church
Prince of the Church
The term Prince of the Church is nowadays used nearly exclusively for Catholic Cardinals. However the term is historically more important as a generic term for clergymen whose offices hold the secular rank and privilege of a prince or are considered its equivalent...
. At the death of her grandfather Francesco Maria della Rovere
Francesco Maria II della Rovere
Francesco Maria II della Rovere was the last Duke of Urbino.- Biography :Born at Pesaro, Francesco Maria was the son of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, Count of Montefeltro and Vittoria Farnese, Princess of Parma...
she inherited the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro which reverted to her second son, Francesco Maria, at her death. She was later entrusted with the care of her three grandchildren. Her marriage bought in a wealth of treasures into the House of Medici which can today be seen in the Palazzo Pitti
Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
and the Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Infancy
Rovere was the only child of Federico Ubaldo della Rovere, son of the then incumbent Duke of Urbino, Francesco MariaFrancesco Maria II della Rovere
Francesco Maria II della Rovere was the last Duke of Urbino.- Biography :Born at Pesaro, Francesco Maria was the son of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, Count of Montefeltro and Vittoria Farnese, Princess of Parma...
. Her mother was Claudia de' Medici
Claudia de' Medici
Claudia de' Medici was a daughter of Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Christina of Lorraine...
, a sister of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo II de' Medici was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1609 until 1621. He was the elder son of the then incumbent Grand Duke and Christina of Lorraine. He married Maria Magdalena of Austria, and had eight children....
and the Duchess of Mantua
Catherine de' Medici, Governor of Siena
Caterina de' Medici was Duchess of Mantua and Montferrat as the second wife of Duke Ferdinando and Goveror of Siena from 1627. She was the second daughter of Grand Duke Ferdinando I of Tuscany and his wife Christina of Lorraine...
. As an infant it was expected that she would inherit her grandfather's Duchy of Urbino, but Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
convinced Francesco Maria to resign it to the Papacy
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
. The duchy was eventually annexed to the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
by Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
. Instead, she received the Rovere allodial possessions, the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro, and art collection which became her property in 1631 aged nine.
At the age of one, Rovere was betrothed to her Medici first cousin Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany in from 1623. Under the influence of her Medici mother, she was sent to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
to be bought up at the Tuscan court. The marriage was arranged by the Grand Duke's grandmother Christina of Lorraine who had been acting as joint regent with her daughter-in-law Maria Maddalena of Austria since 1621. Despite Ferdinando II reaching his majority in 1628, Dowager Grand Duchess Christina remained the power behind the throne till her demise in 1636.
Grand Duchess of Tuscany
On 26 September 1633 she married the Grand Duke of Tuscany and her inheritance was included in her dowryDowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
which was offered to the Medici. These rich art collections of the family, now in the Uffizi
Uffizi
The Uffizi Gallery , is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.-History:...
and Palazzo Pitti
Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
, thus became the property of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
. Bought up in the convent of Crocetta, Rovere's education was a deeply religious one administered by the Dowager Grand Duchesses who had aligned Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
with the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
. Her education caused her to be ruled by priests in later life much to the annoyance of her liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
husband.
The marriage was consummated six years after the marriage ceremony and Rovere have birth to a son who died at the age of two days. Another son followed in 1640 but died at birth. Finally in 1642 the couple had another son named Cosimo de' Medici
Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo III de' Medici was the penultimate Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. Cosimo's 53-year long reign, the longest in Tuscan history, was marked by a series of ultra-reactionary laws which regulated prostitution and...
who was styled the Grand Prince of Tuscany. Under the influence of Rovere, her children also received a deeply Roman catholic education and arguments between the Grand Ducal couple sparked off when there was a disagreement about the education of the Grand Prince. Shortly after the birth of Cosimo, the couple became estranged: Rovere caught her husband and a page, Count Bruto della Molera, in bed together. The sighting caused Rovere to refuse to speak to her husband. However, when she decided to try to come to terms with him, he declined to be reconciled, and it was almost twenty years before their quarrel was properly made up. They briefly reconciled in 1659, which resulted in the birth of their last child, Prince Francesco Maria, in 1660. The estranged couple had at best, an unhappy marriage and agreed to live separately for many years.
Ferdinando II died in 1670 and was thus succeeded by the then Grand Prince as Cosimo III. He had been married to Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans was Grand Duchess of Tuscany, as the wife of Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici. Deprived of her lover, Charles V of Lorraine, and yearning for France, Marguerite Louise despised her husband and his family, whom she often quarrelled with and falsely suspected of...
, first cousin of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, in 1661 A son, Prince Ferdinano and a daughter, Princess Anna Maria Luisa
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was the last scion of the House of Medici. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medici's large art collection, including the contents of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and the Medicean villas, which she inherited upon her brother Gian Gastone's death in 1737, and her...
were born within four years and weeks after the accession of Cosimo III, Marguerite Louise was pregnant again. Rovere and her haughty daughter-in-law vied with each other for power. Thanks to her influence over her son, it was Rovere who triumphed. Cosimo III went so far as to assign his mother the day to day administration of Tuscany. As a result, Rovere was formally admitted into the Grand Duke’s Consulta, or "Privy Council", leaving an embittered Marguerite Louise to her own devices. The two Grand Duchesses frequently quarrelled over precedence and the Consulta but Cosimo III always took his mothers side which only fuelled the ever growing rages of Orléans. Orléans was left to the supervision of her son the Grand Prince Ferdinando. By early 1671, fighting between Marguerite Louise and Vittoria became so heated that a contemporary remarked that "the Pitti Palace
Palazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
has become the devil's own abode, and from morn till midnight only the noise of wrangling and abuse could be heard".
Rovere triumphed when news of her daughter-in-laws pending departure to France came in 1674. The Grand Ducal couple decided to separate on the condition that Orléans stay at the Abbey Saint Pierre de Montmartre
Saint Pierre de Montmartre
The Church of Saint Peter of Montmartre is the lesser known of the two main churches on Montmartre in Paris, the other being the 19th-century Sacré-Cœur Basilica...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Orléans left Tuscany in 1675 never to return. As a result of the abandonment of her children, Rovere was made guardian of her children: Grand Prince Ferdinando, Princess Anna Maria Luisa
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was the last scion of the House of Medici. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medici's large art collection, including the contents of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and the Medicean villas, which she inherited upon her brother Gian Gastone's death in 1737, and her...
and Prince Gian Gastone
Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Gian Gastone de' Medici was the seventh and last Medicean Grand Duke of Tuscany. He was the second son of Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans, Princess of France...
.
Retiring from politics, in her old age, she made long stays in the convent of the Montalve, known as Villa La Quiete, as well as in the Villa del Poggio Imperiale where she transferred some of the art collection she had inherited. Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany died in Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
in 1694 at the age of seventy-two. She was buried at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence. At her death her son Francesco Maria, Cardinal since 1686, inherited the Rovere duchies. The titles went extinct with the extinction of the House of Medici with the death of her grandson Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Gian Gastone de' Medici was the seventh and last Medicean Grand Duke of Tuscany. He was the second son of Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans, Princess of France...
in 1737. Her only granddaughter Electress Palatine Anna Maria Luisa
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was the last scion of the House of Medici. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medici's large art collection, including the contents of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and the Medicean villas, which she inherited upon her brother Gian Gastone's death in 1737, and her...
willed the contents of the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
properties to the Tuscan state in 1743. The so called the Family Pact ensured that Medicean art and treasures spanning over nearly three centuries would remain in in Florence along with what was once Rovere's inheritance.
Issue
- Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany (19 December 1639 - 21 December 1639) died in infancy.
- Unnamed son (1640)
- Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of TuscanyCosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of TuscanyCosimo III de' Medici was the penultimate Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. Cosimo's 53-year long reign, the longest in Tuscan history, was marked by a series of ultra-reactionary laws which regulated prostitution and...
(14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) married Marguerite Louise d'OrléansMarguerite Louise d'OrléansMarguerite Louise d'Orléans was Grand Duchess of Tuscany, as the wife of Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici. Deprived of her lover, Charles V of Lorraine, and yearning for France, Marguerite Louise despised her husband and his family, whom she often quarrelled with and falsely suspected of...
and had issue. - Francesco Maria de' Medici (12 November 1660 – 3 February 1711) married Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga, no issue.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 7 February 1622 – 26 September 1633 Donna Vittoria della Rovere
- 26 September 1633 – 23 May 1670 Her Highness The Grand Duchess of Tuscany
- 23 May 1670 – 5 February 1691 Her Highness The Dowager Grand Duchess of Tuscany
- 5 February 1691 – 5 March 1694 Her Royal Highness The Grand Duchess of Tuscany
See also
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