Laura Martinozzi
| Laura Martinozzi | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Modena | |
 |
|
| Duchess of Modena | |
| Tenure | 14 October 1658 – 16 July 1662 |
| Born |
27 May 1639 Fano, Papal State |
| Died | 19 July 1687 (aged 48) Rome, Papal State |
| Burial | Church of San Vincenzo, Modena |
| Spouse | Alfonso IV d'Este, Duke of Modena |
| Issue |
Maria, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland Francesco II, Duke of Modena |
| Father | Girolamo Martinozzi |
| Mother | Laura Mazarini |
Laura Martinozzi (27 May 1639 – 19 July 1687) was a Duchess consort of Modena. On the death of her husband, she became the regent of the Duchy in the name of her son, Francesco.
She was born in Fano to Cardinal Mazarin's eldest sister, also named Laura, and her husband Count Girolamo Martinozzi da Fano, a Roman noble of an ancient family.
She was one of the Mazarinettes: the seven nieces of the Cardinal, that he brought to France in order to arrange for them rich and politically advantageous marriages, including Hortense and Olympia Mancini.
For two years Laura lived in France under the guardianship of her uncle and "quasi stepmother", Anne of Austria. On her sixteenth birthday, 27 May 1655, she was married to the Duke of Modena, Alfonso IV d'Este. The wedding by proxy occurred at the Palace of Compiègne with the Count of Soissons acting as the Duke of Modena. They had three children, two of which survived infancy.
Laura was abandoned by her son and died in Rome in 1687, shortly before the birth of her grandson, James, Prince of Wales.
The mentally and physically weak Francesco II came under the influence of his half-brother Cesare, and thus Laura moved to Rome with her mother. She was buried in the Este chapel of the Church of San Vincenzo at Modena.
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