Isabella d'Este facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Isabella d'Este |
|
|---|---|
The only certain image of Isabella:
Medal by Giovanni Cristoforo Romano (c. 1495 – gold version c. 1505) |
|
| Marchioness consort of Mantua | |
| Reign | 12 February 1492 - 29 March 1519 |
| Born | 19 May 1474 Ferrara, Duchy of Ferrara |
| Died | 13 February 1539 (aged 64) Mantua, Duchy of Mantua |
| Spouse |
Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua
(m. 1492; died 1519) |
| Issue | Eleonor Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino Margherita Gonzaga Federico II, Duke of Mantua Livia Gonzaga Ippolita Gonzaga Ercole Gonzaga Ferrante Gonzaga Livia Gonzaga |
| House | Este |
| Father | Ercole I d'Este |
| Mother | Eleanor of Naples |
Isabella d'Este (born May 19, 1474 – died February 13, 1539) was a very important woman during the Italian Renaissance. She was the Marchioness (a noble title, like a duchess) of Mantua, a city-state in Italy.
Isabella was known for her love of art and her amazing sense of style. Many women copied her fashion choices. People called her "liberal and magnanimous" (meaning generous and noble). Some even called her "The First Lady of the world" because she was so influential.
She also helped rule Mantua when her husband, Francesco II Gonzaga, was away. She also ruled when her son, Federico, was too young to take charge. Isabella wrote many letters throughout her life. These letters help us learn a lot about her and the time she lived in.
Contents
Isabella's Early Life
Isabella was born on May 19, 1474, in Ferrara, Italy. Her mother, Eleanor of Naples, wrote a letter describing her birth. Eleanor was the daughter of Ferdinand I, the King of Naples.
Isabella had a younger sister named Beatrice, born a year later. She also had several brothers: Alfonso, Ferrante, Ippolito, and Sigismondo. Many people believed Isabella was her parents' favorite child.
When her brother Ferrante was born, Isabella traveled to Naples with her mother. Later, Isabella returned to Ferrara with her mother. Her sister Beatrice and brother Ferrante stayed in Naples for many years.
Isabella's Education
Isabella was very smart. She often talked about classic books and important government matters with ambassadors. She also knew many famous artists, musicians, writers, and scholars.
She knew a lot about history and languages. She could even recite poems by Virgil and Terence from memory. Isabella was also a talented singer and musician. She learned to play the lute and was taught new dances by a master.
Betrothal and Marriage
In 1480, when Isabella was six years old, she was promised in marriage to Francesco. He was eight years older than her and was the future ruler of Mantua.
Her sister Beatrice was later promised to Ludovico, the Duke of Milan. Isabella's wedding gift, called a dowry, was worth 25,000 ducats (a type of money). Isabella admired Francesco for his strength and bravery. She enjoyed spending time with him and prepared to become the Marchioness of Mantua. She kept all the letters, poems, and sonnets he sent her.
Ten years later, on February 11, 1490, Isabella married Francesco. She was 15 years old. By then, Francesco had become the Marquess of Mantua. He was also a general for the armies of Venice. Their wedding was a huge celebration on February 15. Isabella brought valuable jewelry, dishes, and silver as part of her marriage gift. Before the wedding feast, she rode through Ferrara on a horse covered in gems and gold.
Isabella's Relationship with Milan
In 1491, Isabella visited Pavia to accompany her sister Beatrice, who was married to Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Milan. There, Isabella met Galeazzo Sanseverino again, whom she had known as a child. They started writing many funny letters to each other.
They often debated who was the best knight, Orlando or Rinaldo. Galeazzo liked Orlando, while the sisters liked Rinaldo. Galeazzo was charming and convinced both sisters to prefer Orlando. But once Isabella returned to Mantua, she went back to liking Rinaldo. Galeazzo joked that he would change her mind again.
Isabella's presence was wanted in Milan by her sister, Ludovico, and others. However, her husband Francesco was careful about letting her go. He thought too many "madness" (silly things) happened at that court.
Isabella started to feel a bit jealous of her sister Beatrice. Beatrice had a very lucky marriage and great wealth. She also had two healthy sons quickly, while Isabella struggled to have children. This worried their mother. Ludovico had first wanted to marry Isabella in 1480, but she was already promised to Francesco Gonzaga.
Despite this, Isabella supported Beatrice during a difficult pregnancy in 1492. In 1495, she went to Milan again to help her sister with her second birth and even baptized her nephew.
_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto,_8-Jan-2012a.jpg)
Beatrice did not seem to have bad feelings towards Isabella. Ludovico often gave Isabella expensive gifts. Once, he sent her very precious fabric, saying he had already made a dress for Beatrice.
Isabella and Beatrice were very different. Isabella was sweet, graceful, and loved peace, like her mother. Beatrice was bold, adventurous, and strong, like her father. Beatrice loved to shoot a crossbow, while Isabella had a light touch for playing music. However, both sisters wanted to be excellent in everything they did.
Historians have debated which sister was more important. Some wished Ludovico had married Isabella, thinking she would have brought more glory to Milan. Others believed Beatrice was a better wife for Ludovico. She was brave and helped her husband in dangerous times. Isabella lived to be 65, but Beatrice died at 21. After Beatrice's death, Isabella supported her brother-in-law Ludovico, even though her husband Francesco was against him.
Isabella's Marriage Life
Isabella and Francesco had known and admired each other for many years. Their liking for each other grew into love. People said Isabella "bloomed" after her marriage. She was described as pretty, slim, graceful, and well-dressed. Her long, fine hair was a fashionable pale blonde, and her eyes were "brown as fir cones."
Over the years, Isabella's relationship with her husband became difficult. This was partly due to their different political ideas. It was also because it took time for them to have a male heir. Francesco was proud of his daughters and was not disappointed, but Isabella was.
Their son, Federico, was born in 1500.
As a general, Francesco often had to go to Venice. This left Isabella alone in Mantua at La Reggia, the family palace. She spent time with her mother and her sister Beatrice. She also became very close friends with her 18-year-old sister-in-law, Elisabetta Gonzaga. They enjoyed reading, playing cards, and traveling together. They even went to Lake Garda when Francesco was away.
Diplomatic Missions
In 1500, Isabella met the French king in Milan. She was on a successful mission to protect Mantua from a French invasion. The king was impressed by her charm and intelligence. While she was with the king, she offered safety to people from Milan who had to leave their homes. This included Cecilia Gallerani, a friend of her sister Beatrice's husband. Isabella introduced Cecilia to the king, calling her a "lady of rare gifts and charm."
Isabella as Regent
Isabella played a very important role in Mantua during difficult times. In 1509, her husband was captured and held in Venice. Isabella took control of Mantua's army and defended the city until he was released in 1512.
In 1512, she hosted the Congress of Mantua. This meeting was held to solve problems concerning Florence and Milan. As a ruler, Isabella was much stronger and more capable than her husband. When Francesco returned and found this out, he was very angry and embarrassed. Their marriage broke down after this. Isabella then began to travel and live independently until her husband died on March 19, 1519.
After her husband's death, Isabella ruled Mantua as a regent for her son Federico. She became more and more important in Italian politics. She helped Mantua become a Duchy (a higher noble title) by wisely arranging her son's marriage. She also helped her son Ercole become a cardinal (a high-ranking church official). She showed great political skill in her dealings with Cesare Borgia. He had taken land from Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino, who was married to Isabella's sister-in-law and friend, Elisabetta Gonzaga.
Isabella's Widowhood
A Devoted Leader
When Isabella became a widow at 45, she became a "devoted head of state." She took her role as Marchioness very seriously. She studied architecture, farming, and industry to help her people. She followed the ideas for rulers written by Niccolò Machiavelli in his book The Prince. Because of her efforts, the people of Mantua respected and loved her.
In 1527, Isabella left Mantua for Rome. She was there during the terrible Sack of Rome. During this event, she turned her home, the Palazzo Colonna, into a safe place for about 2,000 people. These people included priests, nobles, and common citizens who were running from the soldiers. Her large home was safe because her son Ferrante Gonzaga was a general in the invading army. Also, Isabella had a good relationship with the emperor. When she left Rome, she made sure all the refugees in her home could leave safely.
Later Years and Death
After Rome became stable again, Isabella returned to Mantua. She made Mantua a center of culture. She started a school for girls and turned her palace apartments into a museum filled with beautiful art.
Even in her mid-sixties, Isabella was still active. She returned to political life and ruled Solarolo until her death on February 13, 1539. She was buried next to her husband in the Church of Santa Paola in Mantua. However, their remains were later stolen.
Isabella's Appearance
Many people wrote about Isabella's looks during her lifetime. One writer, Mario Equicola, said her eyes were "black and sparkling," her hair was "yellow," and her skin was "dazzling." Another author, Gian Giorgio Trissino, described her "rippling golden hair that flowed in thick masses over her shoulders." He called her a "living paragon of female beauty."
Pietro Bembo praised Isabella's "beautiful and charming hand and pure, sweet voice." The King of France, Charles VIII, was also interested in her beauty. He asked about her features and tried to arrange a meeting, but it never happened.
Isabella herself often said she wasn't that beautiful. She told the painter Francia that he had made her "far more beautiful by your art than nature ever made us." She also doubted that she was as beautiful as Titian's portrait showed her at that age. However, Isabella was also known to spend a lot of time looking in the mirror.
Isabella worried about her weight from a young age. She often talked about it with close friends. In 1499, she sent a portrait to her brother and complained that it didn't look like her because she was "a little fatter than me." Her brother replied that he liked the portrait and it was very similar, unless Isabella had "grown fatter after we saw her."
Isabella's Legacy
Many poets, popes, and leaders praised Isabella during and after her life. Pope Leo X invited her to treat him like a brother. His secretary, Pietro Bembo, called her "one of the wisest and most fortunate of women." The poet Ariosto called her "liberal and magnanimous." Author Matteo Bandello wrote that she was "supreme among women." The diplomat Niccolò da Correggio called her "The First Lady of the world."
However, not everyone praised her. Pope Julius II did not agree with Isabella's actions. Her husband Francesco, while a prisoner, even accused her of not loving him and causing his downfall.
Isabella's Cultural Pursuits
thought to be an ideal painting of the 62-year-old Isabella by Titian (1536).
This is a widely known but uncertain image.
Isabella d'Este is famous for being the most important art patron of the Renaissance. We know a lot about her life from her letters. About 28,000 letters she received and 12,000 letters she wrote are still kept in Mantua.
Art Patronage
Isabella hired many famous artists of her time to work for her. These included Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, Leonardo da Vinci, Andrea Mantegna, Perugino, Raphael, Titian, and many others. For example, her special study room, called a 'Studiolo', in the Ducal Palace, Mantua, was decorated with paintings by Mantegna, Perugino, and others.
She also hired important sculptors and medal makers like Michelangelo and Gian Cristoforo Romano. She collected ancient Roman art as well.
Isabella was in touch with many famous writers, such as Pietro Aretino, Ludovico Ariosto, and Baldassare Castiglione.
In music, Isabella supported composers like Bartolomeo Tromboncino. She also played the lute. She even hired women as professional singers at her court, which was unusual for the time.
While she couldn't afford new palaces, she hired architects like Biagio Rossetti.
Isabella was also a fashion icon. She invented a special headwear called the Balzo. This style was popular in the 1520s and 1530s and can be seen in portraits of other ladies.
Isabella's Portraits
Even though Isabella was a big art patron and had many portraits made, very few paintings are definitely identified as her. It is known that as she got older, Isabella preferred idealized paintings. She didn't always want to sit for a portrait. However, she probably still wanted the paintings to show some of her real features. The few identified portraits show different eye and hair colors.
In 1495, she refused to pose for Andrea Mantegna for a painting. She said he had painted her "so badly done" before, meaning it didn't look like her. She wanted him to make her look more ideal, not just realistic. Her husband Francesco had to pose alone.
Recently, some museums have removed their identified portraits of Isabella. They are unsure if the paintings truly show her.
Three colorful portraits are still considered possible images of Isabella (Kunsthistorisches Museum/KHM, Vienna):
- Ambras Miniature, from the 16th century
- Isabella in Red by Titian, around 1529 (this painting is lost, but we know it from a copy by Peter Paul Rubens around 1605)
- Isabella in Black by Titian, 1536
La Bella (now in Palazzo Pitti, Florence) has also been suggested as Isabella. If it were her, it would make the eye color, hair color, and overall look of her known portraits more consistent.
As of 2021, the medal made by Gian Cristoforo Romano in 1495 is the only reliable image of Isabella. This is because it has an inscription made during her lifetime.
Idealized portraits still show some features of the person. From her medal, we see wavy hair, a preferred hairstyle with sidelocks, and a small double chin. From the Ambras Miniature and Isabella in Red, we see red-brown or medium-blonde hair and brown eyes. Isabella liked her portraits to be idealized and look younger. The balzo was a common hairstyle in the 1530s.
-
Miniature portrait (with inscription) copied by an unknown Mantuan artist, KHM Wien, 16th century
-
Bust, Giovanni Cristoforo Romano, Kimbell Art Museum, around 1500
-
Female portrait by Giovanni Francesco Caroto, Louvre, around 1505-1510
-
Portrait of a Lady with a Lapdog, Lorenzo Costa, Royal Collection Windsor Castle, around 1500
-
Female portrait by Francesco Francia, around 1511
-
La Bella, an ideal portrait by Titian thought to be Isabella d'Este or Eleonora Gonzaga, Galleria Palatina, 1536
-
Isabella in Red copied by Rubens, Kunsthistorisches Museum, around 1605
-
The Lute Player by Andrea Solario, Palazzo Barberini, around 1510
-
Anonymous painting after Leonardo da Vinci's drawing Isabella d'Este, 16th century, private collection.
Isabella's Relationship with Leonardo and the Mona Lisa Theory
Some art experts believe Isabella d'Este might be the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa. This painting is usually thought to be a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo.
Evidence for Isabella includes Leonardo's drawing of her from 1499. Also, Isabella wrote letters from 1501 to 1506 asking for the painted portrait Leonardo had promised her. Other arguments suggest the mountains in the background of the Mona Lisa might show the subject's home region. The armrest in the painting was also a symbol used for portraits of rulers during the Renaissance. The Louvre museum, where the Mona Lisa is kept, has some doubts because Isabella was known to be blonde. However, the famous Isabella in Black portrait, which is not certain to be her, shows her with darker hair.
Isabella's Children
Isabella and Francesco had eight children:
- Eleonora Gonzaga (born December 31, 1493 – died February 13, 1570), who married Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, and had children.
- Margherita Gonzaga (born July 13, 1496 – died September 22, 1496)
- Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (born May 17, 1500 – died August 28, 1540), who married Margaret Paleologa, and had children.
- Livia Gonzaga (born 1501 – died January 1508)
- Ippolita Gonzaga (born November 13, 1503 – died March 16, 1570), who became a nun.
- Ercole Gonzaga (born November 23, 1505 – died March 2, 1563), who became a Cardinal and Bishop of Mantua.
- Ferrante Gonzaga (born January 28, 1507 – died November 15, 1557), a military leader; he married Isabella di Capua and had children.
- Livia Gonzaga (born August 1508 – died 1569), who also became a nun.
Isabella in Modern Media
Isabella d'Este has been featured in modern works.
- The artwork The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago includes a place setting for Isabella d'Este.
- Belgian actress Alexandra Oppo played Isabella d'Este in the TV show Borgia (2011–2014).
See also
In Spanish: Isabel de Este para niños
