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| full name=Vittoria della Rovere
| full name=Vittoria della Rovere
| succession=[[List of consorts of Tuscany|Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany]]
| succession=[[List of consorts of Tuscany|Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany]]
| image =Vittoria della Rovere after Justus Sustermans, Chambéry ; musée des beaux-arts.jpg
| image = Sustermans, Justus - Vittoria della Rovere con una rosa.jpg
| caption = Portrait after [[Justus Sustermans]] in the [[Musée des beaux-arts de Chambéry]]
| caption = Portrait by [[Justus Sustermans]], {{circa|1640-1645}}
| reign = 26 September 1633 – 23 May 1670
| reign = 6 April 1637 – 23 May 1670
| spouse = [[Ferdinando II de' Medici]]
| spouse = [[Ferdinando II de' Medici]]
| issue = [[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany]]<br>[[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria, Duke of Rovere]]
| issue = [[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany]]<br>[[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria, Duke of Rovere]]
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}}
}}


'''Vittoria della Rovere''' (7 February 1622 &ndash; 5 March 1694) was [[List of Tuscan consorts|Grand Duchess of Tuscany]] as the wife of [[Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Grand Duke Ferdinando II]]. She had four children with her husband, two of whom would survive infancy: the future [[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Cosimo III]], Tuscany's longest-reigning monarch, and [[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria]], a [[prince of the Church]]. At the death of her grandfather [[Francesco Maria II della Rovere|Francesco Maria della Rovere]], she inherited the [[duchy of Urbino]] {{citation needed span|which reverted to her second son, Francesco Maria|date=August 2018}}, at her death. She was later entrusted with the care of her three grandchildren. Her marriage brought a wealth of treasures to the [[House of Medici]], which can today be seen in the [[Palazzo Pitti]] and the [[Uffizi|Uffizi Gallery]] in [[Florence]].
'''Vittoria della Rovere''' (7 February 1622 &ndash; 5 March 1694) was [[List of Tuscan consorts|Grand Duchess of Tuscany]] as the wife of [[Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Grand Duke Ferdinando II]]. She had four children with her husband, two of whom would survive infancy: the future [[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Cosimo III]], Tuscany's longest-reigning monarch, and [[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria]], a [[prince of the Church]]. At the death of her grandfather [[Francesco Maria II della Rovere|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 brought a wealth of treasures to the [[House of Medici]], which can today be seen in the [[Palazzo Pitti]] and the [[Uffizi|Uffizi Gallery]] in [[Florence]].


==Infancy==
==Infancy==
[[File:Tiberio_titi,_ritratto_di_vittoria_della_rovere_bambina,_1625_ca._01.jpg|thumb|Vittoria della Rovere as a chilld, by [[Tiberio di Tito]] in the [[Uffizi|Uffizi Gallery]]]]
⚫
Vittoria della Rovere was the only child of [[Federico Ubaldo della Rovere]], son of the then incumbent Duke of Urbino, [[Francesco Maria II della Rovere|Francesco Maria]]. Her mother was [[Claudia de' Medici]], a sister of [[Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]] and the [[Catherine de' Medici, Governor of Siena|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 [[Papal States|the Papacy]].<ref name=Acton111/> The duchy was eventually annexed to the [[Papal States]] by [[Pope Urban VIII]].<ref name=Acton111>Acton, p 111</ref> Instead, she received the Rovere allodial possessions, the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro, and art collection which became her property in 1631 aged nine.<ref>Acton, p 208</ref>


⚫
At the age of one, Vittoria was betrothed to her [[House of Medici|Medici]] first cousin [[Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany]]. Under the influence of her Medici mother, she was sent to [[Florence]] to be brought 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 [[Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria|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.
⚫
Rovere was the only child of [[Federico Ubaldo della Rovere]], son of the then incumbent Duke of Urbino, [[Francesco Maria II della Rovere|Francesco Maria]].<ref name="Rovere">{{cite web|url= http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00202797&tree=LEO |title=Vittoria della Rovere |accessdate= 2010-11-03|last= van de Pas|first= Leo|work= Genealogics.org}}</ref> Her mother was [[Claudia de' Medici]], a sister of [[Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]] and the [[Catherine de' Medici, Governor of Siena|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 [[Papal States|the Papacy]].<ref name=Acton111/> The duchy was eventually annexed to the [[Papal States]] by [[Pope Urban VIII]].<ref name=Acton111>Acton, p 111</ref> Instead, she received the Rovere allodial possessions, the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro, and art collection which became her property in 1631 aged nine.<ref>Acton, p 208</ref>

⚫
At the age of one, Rovere was betrothed to her [[House of Medici|Medici]] first cousin [[Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany]]. Under the influence of her Medici mother, she was sent to [[Florence]] to be brought 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 [[Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria|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==
==Grand Duchess of Tuscany==


On 26 September 1633 she married the [[Grand Duke of Tuscany]] and her inheritance was included in her [[dowry]] which was offered to the Medici.<ref name="Rovere"/> These rich art collections of the family, now in the [[Uffizi]] and [[Palazzo Pitti]], thus became the property of the [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]]. Brought 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]].<ref name="Acton111"/> Her education caused her to be ruled by [[priests]] in later life much to the annoyance of her [[Liberalism|liberal]] husband.<ref>Young, p 687</ref>
On 2 August 1634 she privately married Ferdinando, while the official public marriage was celebrated on 6 April 1637. Vittoria was crowned on the next 5 July. Her inheritance was included in her [[dowry]] 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]]. Brought up in the convent of Crocetta, Vittoria's education was a deeply religious one administered by the Dowager Grand Duchesses who had aligned [[Tuscany]] with the [[Papal States]].<ref name="Acton111"/> Her education caused her to be ruled by [[priests]] in later life much to the annoyance of her [[Liberalism|liberal]] husband.<ref>Young, p 687</ref>

⚫
The marriage was consummated six years after the marriage ceremony and Vittoria gave 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 III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Cosimo de' Medici]] who was styled the [[Grand Prince of Tuscany]]. Under the influence of their mother, her children also received a deeply [[Roman Catholic]] education, and arguments between the Grand Ducal couple were sparked when there was a disagreement about the education of the Grand Prince.<ref>Acton, p 44</ref> Shortly after the birth of Cosimo, the couple became estranged: Vittoria caught her husband and a page, Count Bruto della Molera, in bed together.<ref>Acton, p 30</ref> The incident initially caused Vittoria to refuse to speak to her husband. When she decided to try to come to terms with him, however, 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, [[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Prince Francesco Maria]], in 1660.<ref>Acton, p 45</ref> The estranged couple had, at best, an unhappy marriage, and lived separately by mutual agreement for many years.
⚫
[[File:Justus Sustermans 004.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Vittoria della Rovere and her husband by [[Justus Sustermans]]]]
⚫
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]],<ref name="Acton114"/> first cousin of [[Louis XIV of France]], in 1661. A son, [[Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany|Prince Ferdinando]], and a daughter, [[Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici|Princess Anna Maria Luisa]], were born within four years, and weeks after the accession of Cosimo III, Marguerite Louise was pregnant again. Vittoria della Rovere and her haughty daughter-in-law vied with each other for power. Thanks to her influence over her son, it was Vittoria who triumphed. Cosimo III went so far as to assign his mother the day-to-day administration of Tuscany.<ref>Acton, p 122</ref> As a result, Vittoria was formally admitted into the Grand Duke's ''Consulta'', or "Privy Council", leaving an embittered Marguerite Louise to her own devices.<ref name=Acton113>Acton, p 113</ref> The two Grand Duchesses frequently quarrelled over precedence and the ''Consulta'', but Cosimo III always took his mother's side, which only fuelled the ever-growing rages of Orléans.<ref name=Acton114>Acton, p 114</ref> 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 [[Palazzo Pitti|Pitti Palace]] has become the devil's own abode, and from morn till midnight only the noise of wrangling and abuse could be heard".<ref>Acton, p. 115.</ref>


Vittoria employed [[Caterina Angiola Pieroncini]] as a lady-in-waiting, sending her to Paris in 1664 for training in [[needlework]].<ref name="Pino">{{cite book |last1=Pino |first1=Ana Ágreda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPubEAAAQBAJ |title=Vivir entre bastidores: bordado, mujer y domesticidad en la España de la Edad Moderna |date=2022 |publisher=Univeridad de Cantabria |isbn=9788419024084 |page=219}}</ref><ref name="modesti">{{Cite book |last=Modesti |first=Adelina |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/women-artists-in-the-early-modern-courts-of-europe/una-persona-dependente-alla-serenissima-gran-duchessa-female-embroiderers-and-lacemakers-between-the-courts-of-florence-and-france/89A8FBD107D57D7763A4C9C39050E762 |title=Women Artists in the Early Modern Courts of Europe: c. 1450-1700 |chapter='Una persona dependente alla Serenissima Gran Duchessa' : Female Embroiderers and Lacemakers between the courts of Florence and France |series=Visual and Material Culture, 1300-1700 |date=2021 |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |isbn=978-90-485-4022-8 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Tanja L. |pages=139–160|doi=10.1017/9789048540228.006 |hdl=11343/297160 }}</ref>
⚫
The marriage was consummated six years after the marriage ceremony and Rovere gave birth to a son who died at the age of two days.<ref name="Rovere"/> Another son followed in 1640 but died at birth. Finally in 1642 the couple had another son named [[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Cosimo de' Medici]] who was styled the [[Grand Prince of Tuscany]]. Under the influence of their mother, her children also received a deeply [[Roman Catholic]] education, and arguments between the Grand Ducal couple were sparked when there was a disagreement about the education of the Grand Prince.<ref>Acton, p 44</ref> Shortly after the birth of Cosimo, the couple became estranged: Rovere caught her husband and a page, Count Bruto della Molera, in bed together.<ref>Acton, p 30</ref> The incident initially caused Rovere to refuse to speak to her husband. When she decided to try to come to terms with him, however, 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, [[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Prince Francesco Maria]], in 1660.<ref>Acton, p 45</ref> The estranged couple had, at best, an unhappy marriage, and lived separately by mutual agreement for many years.
⚫
[[File:Justus Sustermans 004.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Rovere and her husband by [[Justus Sustermans]]]]
⚫
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]],<ref name="Acton114"/> first cousin of [[Louis XIV of France]], in 1661. A son, [[Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany|Prince Ferdinando]], and a daughter, [[Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici|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.<ref>Acton, p 122</ref> 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.<ref name=Acton113>Acton, p 113</ref> The two Grand Duchesses frequently quarrelled over precedence and the ''Consulta'', but Cosimo III always took his mother's side, which only fuelled the ever-growing rages of Orléans.<ref name=Acton114>Acton, p 114</ref> 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 [[Palazzo Pitti|Pitti Palace]] has become the devil's own abode, and from morn till midnight only the noise of wrangling and abuse could be heard".<ref>Acton, p. 115.</ref>


Rovere triumphed when news of her daughter-in-law's pending departure to France came in 1674. The younger grand duchess had lived in virtual imprisonment at the [[Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano]] outside Florence for sometime. Eventually, the Grand Ducal couple decided to separate on the condition that Orléans stay at the [[Saint Pierre de Montmartre|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 grandchildren: [[Ferdinando de' Medici (1663–1713)|Grand Prince Ferdinando]], [[Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici|Princess Anna Maria Luisa]] and [[Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Prince Gian Gastone]].<ref name="la principessa saggia">{{Cite web|url=http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/ElettricePalatina_2007/biografia.html|accessdate=16 November 2009|publisher=www.polomuseale.firenze.it|title=Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici - Biografia|language=Italian|year=2006|author=Galleria Palatina|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717091944/http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/ElettricePalatina_2007/biografia.html|archivedate=17 July 2011|df=}}</ref>
Vittoria triumphed when news of her daughter-in-law's pending departure to France came in 1674. The younger grand duchess had lived in virtual imprisonment at the [[Villa di Poggio a Caiano|Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano]] outside Florence for sometime. Eventually, the Grand Ducal couple decided to separate on the condition that Orléans stay at the [[Saint Pierre de Montmartre|Abbey Saint Pierre de Montmartre]] in [[Paris]]. Orléans left Tuscany in 1675 never to return. As a result of the abandonment of her children, Vittoria della Rovere was made guardian of her grandchildren: [[Ferdinando de' Medici (1663–1713)|Grand Prince Ferdinando]], [[Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici|Princess Anna Maria Luisa]] and [[Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Prince Gian Gastone]].<ref name="la principessa saggia">{{Cite web|url=http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/ElettricePalatina_2007/biografia.html|access-date=16 November 2009|publisher=www.polomuseale.firenze.it|title=Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici - Biografia|language=it|year=2006|author=Galleria Palatina|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717091944/http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/ElettricePalatina_2007/biografia.html|archive-date=17 July 2011}}</ref>
⚫
[[File:Vittoria della Rovere as Dowager Grand Duchess of Tuscany.jpg|thumb|Vittoria della Rovere as Dowager Grand Duchess of Tuscany, circa 1685]]


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]], to which 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 de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria]], Cardinal since 1686, inherited the Rovere duchies. The titles became 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 [[Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici|Electress Palatine Anna Maria Luisa]] willed the contents of the [[Medici]] properties to the Tuscan state in 1743. The so-called ''Family Pact'' ensured that Medicean art and treasures spanning over nearly three centuries would remain in Florence along with what was once Rovere's inheritance.<ref>Young, p 508</ref>
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]], to which 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 de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria]], Cardinal since 1686, inherited the Rovere duchies. The titles became 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 [[Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici|Electress Palatine Anna Maria Luisa]] willed the contents of the [[Medici]] properties to the Tuscan state in 1743. The so-called ''Family Pact'' ensured that Medicean art and treasures spanning over nearly three centuries would remain in Florence along with what was once Vittoria's inheritance.<ref>Young, p 508</ref>


==Issue==
==Issue==
[[File:Coat of arms of Vittoria della Rovere.png|thumb|200px|Arms of Vittoria della Rovere as Grand Duchess of Tuscany]]

#Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany (19 December 1639 - 21 December 1639), died in infancy.
#Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany (19 December 1639 - 21 December 1639), died in infancy.
#A nameless daughter who died at birth (1640)
#Unnamed son (1640)
#[[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]] (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723), married [[Marguerite Louise d'Orléans]] and had issue.
#[[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]] (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723), married [[Marguerite Louise d'Orléans]] and had issue.
#[[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria de' Medici]] (12 November 1660 – 3 February 1711), married [[Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga]]. No issue.
#[[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria de' Medici]] (12 November 1660 – 3 February 1711), married [[Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga]]. No issue.
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|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Vittoria della Rovere'''
|1= 1. '''Vittoria della Rovere'''
|2= 2. [[Federico Ubaldo della Rovere, Duke of Urbino]]
|2= 2. [[Federico Ubaldo della Rovere, Duke of Urbino]]
Line 62: Line 64:
|7= 7. [[Christina of Lorraine]]
|7= 7. [[Christina of Lorraine]]
|8= 8. [[Guidobaldo II della Rovere|Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino]]
|8= 8. [[Guidobaldo II della Rovere|Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino]]
|9= 9. Vittoria Farnese
|9= 9. [[Vittoria Farnese, Duchess of Urbino|Vittoria Farnese]]
|10= 10. Ippolito della Rovere, Marchese di San Lorenzo
|10= 10. Ippolito della Rovere, Marchese di San Lorenzo
|11= 11. Isabella Vitelli, Marchesa dell'Amatrice
|11= 11. Isabella Vitelli, Marchesa dell'Amatrice
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|14= 14. [[Charles III, Duke of Lorraine]]
|14= 14. [[Charles III, Duke of Lorraine]]
|15= 15. [[Claude of Valois|Princess Claude of France]]
|15= 15. [[Claude of Valois|Princess Claude of France]]
|16= 16. [[Francesco Maria I della Rovere|Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke of Urbino]]
|17= 17. [[Eleonora Gonzaga (1493–1570)|Eleonora Gonzaga]]
|18= 18. [[Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma]]
|19= 19. [[Gerolama Orsini]]
|20= 20. Cardinal [[Giulio Feltrio della Rovere]] (son of 16 and 17)
|21= 21. Leonora
|22= 22. Jacopo Vitelli, Signore dell'Amatrice
|23= 23. Livia Orsini
|24= 24. [[Giovanni dalle Bande Nere|Giovanni de' Medici]]
|25= 25. [[Maria Salviati]]
|26= 26. [[Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, Marquis of Villafranca]]
|27= 27. [[Maria Osorio, 2nd Marquise of Villafranca]]
|28= 28. [[Francis I, Duke of Lorraine]]
|29= 29. [[Christina of Denmark]]
|30= 30. [[Henry II of France]]
|31= 31. [[Catherine de' Medici]]
}}
}}


==Bibliography==
==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
* Adelinda Modesti: Women's Patronage and Gendered Cultural Networks in Early Modern Europe: Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (Englische Edition), 2019, E-Book, print edition 298 pages, publisher: Taylor and Francis, ISBN 978-1-351-77811-4.
⚫
[[File:Arms of Vittoria della Rovere as Grand Duchess of Tuscany.png|thumb|200px|Arms of Rovere as Grand Duchess of Tuscany]]


===Titles and styles===
==See also==
[[Caterina Angiola Pieroncini]], lacemaker for Vittoria della Rovere, and one of her ladies in waiting

*'''7 February 1622 &ndash; 26 September 1633''' ''Donna'' Vittoria della Rovere
*'''26 September 1633 &ndash; 23 May 1670''' ''Her Highness'' The Grand Duchess of Tuscany
*'''23 May 1670 &ndash; 5 March 1694''' ''Her Highness'' The Dowager Grand Duchess of Tuscany


==Citations==
==Citations==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commonscat-inline|Vittoria della Rovere}}
{{Commons category-inline|Vittoria della Rovere}}


==See also==
{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of della Rovere]]|7 February|1622|5 March|1694}}
{{s-hou|[[House of della Rovere]]|7 February|1622|5 March|1694}}
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{{s-vac|last=[[Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria|Maria Maddalena of Austria]]}}
{{s-vac|last=[[Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria|Maria Maddalena of Austria]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of consorts of Tuscany|Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany]]|years=1633–1670}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of consorts of Tuscany|Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany]]|years=1637–1670}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Marguerite Louise d'Orléans]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Marguerite Louise d'Orléans]]}}
{{end}}
{{s-end}}
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{{Grand Duchesses of Tuscany}}


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{{Grand Duchesses of Tuscany}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:People from Pesaro]]
[[Category:People from Pesaro]]
[[Category:House of Medici]]
[[Category:House of Medici]]
[[Category:Grand Duchesses of Tuscany]]
[[Category:Grand duchesses of Tuscany]]
[[Category:House of della Rovere|Vittoria]]
[[Category:Della Rovere family|Vittoria]]
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[[Category:17th-century Italian people]]
[[Category:17th-century Italian women]]
[[Category:17th-century Italian women]]
[[Category:17th-century Italian nobility]]
[[Category:17th-century Italian nobility]]
[[Category:Burials at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence]]
[[Category:Burials at San Lorenzo, Florence]]
[[Category:Daughters of dukes]]
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[[Category:Mothers of Italian monarchs]]

Latest revision as of 21:23, 31 August 2024

Vittoria della Rovere
Portrait by Justus Sustermans, c. 1640-1645
Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany
Tenure6 April 1637 – 23 May 1670
Born(1622-02-07)7 February 1622
Ducal Palace of Pesaro, Urbino
Died5 March 1694(1694-03-05) (aged 72)
Ducal Palace of Pisa, Tuscany
SpouseFerdinando II de' Medici
IssueCosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Francesco Maria, Duke of Rovere
Names
Vittoria della Rovere
HouseHouse of Medici
House of della Rovere
FatherFederico Ubaldo della Rovere
MotherClaudia de' Medici

Vittoria della Rovere (7 February 1622 – 5 March 1694) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. She had four children with her husband, two of whom 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 brought a wealth of treasures to the House of Medici, which can today be seen in the Palazzo Pitti and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Infancy

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Vittoria della Rovere as a chilld, by Tiberio di Tito in the Uffizi Gallery

Vittoria della Rovere was the only child of Federico Ubaldo della Rovere, son of the then incumbent Duke of Urbino, Francesco Maria. 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.[1] The duchy was eventually annexed to the Papal States by Pope Urban VIII.[1] Instead, she received the Rovere allodial possessions, the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro, and art collection which became her property in 1631 aged nine.[2]

At the age of one, Vittoria was betrothed to her Medici first cousin Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Under the influence of her Medici mother, she was sent to Florence to be brought 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

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On 2 August 1634 she privately married Ferdinando, while the official public marriage was celebrated on 6 April 1637. Vittoria was crowned on the next 5 July. Her inheritance was included in her dowry 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. Brought up in the convent of Crocetta, Vittoria's education was a deeply religious one administered by the Dowager Grand Duchesses who had aligned Tuscany with the Papal States.[1] Her education caused her to be ruled by priests in later life much to the annoyance of her liberal husband.[3]

The marriage was consummated six years after the marriage ceremony and Vittoria gave 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 their mother, her children also received a deeply Roman Catholic education, and arguments between the Grand Ducal couple were sparked when there was a disagreement about the education of the Grand Prince.[4] Shortly after the birth of Cosimo, the couple became estranged: Vittoria caught her husband and a page, Count Bruto della Molera, in bed together.[5] The incident initially caused Vittoria to refuse to speak to her husband. When she decided to try to come to terms with him, however, 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.[6] The estranged couple had, at best, an unhappy marriage, and lived separately by mutual agreement for many years.

Vittoria della Rovere and her husband by Justus Sustermans

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,[7] first cousin of Louis XIV of France, in 1661. A son, Prince Ferdinando, 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. Vittoria della Rovere and her haughty daughter-in-law vied with each other for power. Thanks to her influence over her son, it was Vittoria who triumphed. Cosimo III went so far as to assign his mother the day-to-day administration of Tuscany.[8] As a result, Vittoria was formally admitted into the Grand Duke's Consulta, or "Privy Council", leaving an embittered Marguerite Louise to her own devices.[9] The two Grand Duchesses frequently quarrelled over precedence and the Consulta, but Cosimo III always took his mother's side, which only fuelled the ever-growing rages of Orléans.[7] 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".[10]

Vittoria employed Caterina Angiola Pieroncini as a lady-in-waiting, sending her to Paris in 1664 for training in needlework.[11][12]

Vittoria triumphed when news of her daughter-in-law's pending departure to France came in 1674. The younger grand duchess had lived in virtual imprisonment at the Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano outside Florence for sometime. Eventually, 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, Vittoria della Rovere was made guardian of her grandchildren: Grand Prince Ferdinando, Princess Anna Maria Luisa and Prince Gian Gastone.[13]

Vittoria della Rovere as Dowager Grand Duchess of Tuscany, circa 1685

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, to which 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 became 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 Family Pact ensured that Medicean art and treasures spanning over nearly three centuries would remain in Florence along with what was once Vittoria's inheritance.[14]

Issue

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Arms of Vittoria della Rovere as Grand Duchess of Tuscany
  1. Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany (19 December 1639 - 21 December 1639), died in infancy.
  2. A nameless daughter who died at birth (1640)
  3. Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723), married Marguerite Louise d'Orléans and had issue.
  4. Francesco Maria de' Medici (12 November 1660 – 3 February 1711), married Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga. No issue.

Ancestry

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Bibliography

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  • Adelinda Modesti: Women's Patronage and Gendered Cultural Networks in Early Modern Europe: Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (Englische Edition), 2019, E-Book, print edition 298 pages, publisher: Taylor and Francis, ISBN 978-1-351-77811-4.

See also

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Caterina Angiola Pieroncini, lacemaker for Vittoria della Rovere, and one of her ladies in waiting

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Acton, p 111
  2. ^ Acton, p 208
  3. ^ Young, p 687
  4. ^ Acton, p 44
  5. ^ Acton, p 30
  6. ^ Acton, p 45
  7. ^ a b Acton, p 114
  8. ^ Acton, p 122
  9. ^ Acton, p 113
  10. ^ Acton, p. 115.
  11. ^ Pino, Ana Ágreda (2022). Vivir entre bastidores: bordado, mujer y domesticidad en la España de la Edad Moderna. Univeridad de Cantabria. p. 219. ISBN 9788419024084.
  12. ^ Modesti, Adelina (2021). "'Una persona dependente alla Serenissima Gran Duchessa' : Female Embroiderers and Lacemakers between the courts of Florence and France". In Jones, Tanja L. (ed.). Women Artists in the Early Modern Courts of Europe: c. 1450-1700. Visual and Material Culture, 1300-1700. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 139–160. doi:10.1017/9789048540228.006. hdl:11343/297160. ISBN 978-90-485-4022-8.
  13. ^ Galleria Palatina (2006). "Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici - Biografia" (in Italian). www.polomuseale.firenze.it. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  14. ^ Young, p 508

References

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  • Acton, Harold: The Last Medici, Macmillan, London, 1980, ISBN 0-333-29315-0
  • Young, G. F.: The Medici: Volume II, John Murray, 1920
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Media related to Vittoria della Rovere at Wikimedia Commons

Vittoria della Rovere
Born: 7 February 1622 Died: 5 March 1694
Italian nobility
Preceded by Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro
1631–1694 		Succeeded by
Italian royalty
Vacant
Title last held by
Maria Maddalena of Austria 		Grand Duchess consort of Tuscany
1637–1670 		Succeeded by
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