Beatrice Regina della Scala

Beatrice Regina della Scala
Beatrice Regina della Scala and her husband Bernabò Visconti, painted c. 1350 by an unknown artist
Spouse(s)	Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan
Issue Taddea Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria-Ingolstadt Viridis Visconti, Duchess of Austria Marco Visconti Rodolfo Visconti, Lord of Parma Ludovico Visconti Carlo Visconti Valentina Visconti, Queen of Cyprus Caterina Visconti, Duchess of Milan Agnese Visconti, Lady of Mantua Antonia Visconti, Countess of Württemberg Mastino Visconti Maddalena Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria-Landshut Aymonette Visconti Anglesia Visconti, Queen of Cyprus Giammastino Visconti Lucia Visconti, Countess of Kent Elisabetta Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria-Munich
Noble family	della Scala
Father	Mastino II della Scala
Mother	Taddea da Carrara
Born	1331 Verona, Italy
Died	18 June 1384 Milan, Italy

Beatrice Regina della Scala (1331 – 18 June 1384) 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.

Beatrice Regina was born in Verona in 1331, the youngest child and only daughter of Mastino II della Scala and Taddea da Carrara. She had three older brothers, and five illegitimate half-siblings. Her father, who was a member of the Scaliger family of Northern Italy, was Lord of Verona, Vicenza, Brescia, Parma, and Lucca. Her paternal grandparents were Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice, daughter of Gilberto III da Correggio of Parma, and her maternal grandparents were Jacopo I da Carrara and Anna Gradenigo, daughter of Pietro Gradenigo, Doge of Venice and Tommasina Morosini.

On 27 September 1350 in Verona, Beatrice Regina was married to Bernabò Visconti, son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. She was nineteen years of age and he was twenty-seven. The marriage welded a powerful political alliance between Milan and Verona. He assumed power as Lord of Milan in 1354, henceforth, Beatrice Regina was styled as Lady of Milan.

It has been claimed that 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.