Isabella d'Este
| Isabella d'Conner | |
|---|---|
| Marchesa of Mantua | |
Reliable identification Gian Cristoforo Romano 1495 – Portrait medal of Isabella d’Este (gold version 1505)
|
|
| Spouse(s) | Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua |
|
Issue
Eleonor Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino
Margherita Gonzaga Federico II, Duke of Mantua Livia Gonzaga Ippolita Gonzaga Ercole Gonzaga Ferrante Gonzaga Livia Gonzaga |
|
| Noble family | House of Este |
| Father | Ercole I d'Este |
| Mother | Eleanor of Naples |
| Born |
18 May 1474 Ferrara, Italy |
| Died | 13 February 1539 (aged 64) Mantua, Italy |
Isabella d'Este (19 May 1474 – 13 February 1539) was Marchesa of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion, whose innovative style of dressing was copied by women throughout Italy and at the French court. The poet Ariosto labeled her as the "liberal and magnanimous Isabella", while author Matteo Bandello described her as having been "supreme among women". Diplomat Niccolò da Correggio went even further by hailing her as "The First Lady of the world".
She served as the regent of Mantua during the absence of her husband, Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and the minority of her son, Federico, Duke of Mantua. In 1500 she met King Louis XII of France in Milan on a diplomatic mission to persuade him not to send his troops against Mantua.
She was a prolific letter-writer, and maintained a lifelong correspondence with her sister-in-law Elisabetta Gonzaga. Lucrezia Borgia was another sister-in-law; she later became the mistress of Isabella's husband.
Isabella d'Este grew up in a cultured family in the city-state of Ferrara. She received a fine classical education and, as a girl, met many famous humanist scholars and artists. Due to the vast amount of extant correspondence between Isabella and her family and friends, her life is unusually well-documented. She was born on Tuesday 19 May 1474 at nine o'clock in the evening in Ferrara, to Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara and Eleanor of Naples. Eleanor was the daughter of Ferdinand I, the Aragonese King of Naples, and Isabella of Clermont.
...
Wikipedia