Margherita Aldobrandini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Margherita Aldobrandini |
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Portrait by Bartolomé González y Serrano, ca. 1610. Currently at Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg.
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| Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza | |
| Tenure | 7 May 1600 – 5 March 1622 |
| Regent of Parma and Piacenza | |
| Regency | 21 February 1626 – 28 April 1628 |
| Born | 29 March 1588 Capodimonte, Papal States |
| Died | 9 August 1646 (aged 58) Parma, Duchy of Parma and Piacenza |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Alessandro Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma and Piacenza Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza Maria Caterina Farnese, Duchess consort of Modena Vittoria Farnese, Duchess consort of Modena Francesco Maria Farnese, Cardinal |
| Noble family | Aldobrandini (by birth) Farnese (by marriage) |
| Father | Giovanni Francesco Aldobrandini |
| Mother | Olimpia Aldobrandini |
Margherita Aldobrandini (born March 29, 1588 – died August 9, 1646) was an important Italian noblewoman. She belonged to the Aldobrandini family. Through her marriage, she became the Duchess of Parma and Piacenza from 1600 to 1622. Later, she also served as the leader, or Regent, of both Duchies from 1626 to 1628. She took on this role because her son was still too young to rule.
Contents
Margherita Aldobrandini: A Duchess's Story
Her Early Life and Family
Margherita was born on March 29, 1588, in the castle of Capodimonte. This area was part of the Duchy of Castro. She was the oldest daughter of Gianfrancesco Aldobrandini and Olimpia Aldobrandini. Her great-uncle, Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini, became Pope Clement VIII in 1592.
In 1593, Pope Clement VIII invited Margherita's parents to move to Rome. The Pope wanted to make his family, the Aldobrandini, more powerful in the Papal States. He helped his relatives a lot. Margherita's father was especially trusted by the Pope. He was given important titles, like Count of Sarsina and Meldola.
The Pope also supported Margherita and her siblings. He made her older brother, Salvestro, a Cardinal. For Margherita and her sister Elena, he started looking for husbands from important royal families.
Becoming Duchess of Parma
The Pope thought about princes from the Savoy and Medici families as husbands for Margherita. He even considered King Henry IV of France. However, these rulers were not interested in the marriage.
Starting in 1598, the Pope began talks for Margherita to marry Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma. Ranuccio was the Duke of Parma and Piacenza. This marriage was meant to bring peace between the Aldobrandini and Farnese families. It would also create a political alliance between the Pope's lands and the Duchy of Parma.
After long and difficult talks, they agreed on the amount of money Margherita would bring as her dowry. Most of this money came from the Pope's treasury. The marriage agreement was signed in Rome. Spanish diplomats and important Cardinals helped make this happen.
On May 7, 1600, Pope Clement VIII held the wedding ceremony in Rome. Duke Ranuccio I Farnese married Margherita Aldobrandini. The Pope wanted a simple wedding without big celebrations. However, this event was celebrated in art and literature of the time. Poets wrote songs and poems about the marriage of the 30-year-old Duke and the 11-year-old bride.
Many believe this wedding inspired the famous paintings called The Loves of the Gods. These artworks were created by Annibale Carracci and his team. They are located in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome.
On June 4, Margherita and her husband left Rome for Parma. They traveled with armed guards and nobles from Parma. On their journey, they visited Vittoria Farnese, the Duchess of Urbino. She was Ranuccio's aunt. On July 1, they arrived in the Duchy of Parma.
Margherita spent the summer at the Castello di Torrechiara. She waited for renovations to finish at the Ducal Palace in Parma. In early October, she made her grand entry into the capital city.
Challenges and Children
For a long time, Margherita had trouble having children. Sadly, her first two babies, born in 1602 and 1603, lived only for a few hours. The Duke, Ranuccio I, was very superstitious. He believed someone had put a curse on him. He tried different doctors, astrologers, and even exorcists. He also gave a lot of money to charity.
The Duke ordered an investigation into these supposed curses. Some people were falsely accused and imprisoned. In 1610, Margherita finally gave birth to a son who survived. They named him Alessandro. Everyone at court was very hopeful. But soon, it became clear that Alessandro was deaf and could not speak. After many attempts to help him, he was officially declared unable to rule in 1618.
The next heir to the Duchy of Parma became Odoardo, Margherita's second son who survived. He was born in 1612. After Alessandro and Odoardo, Margherita had five more children between 1613 and 1620. Three of them lived past infancy. Some historians believe she passed on a family trait of obesity to later members of the Farnese family.
The Duke also had another son, Ottavio, from before his marriage to Margherita. For a time, Ottavio was considered an heir. But to Margherita's happiness, he was later removed from court. Ottavio was unhappy about losing his position. He became involved in a plot against his father. When the plot was discovered, he was also imprisoned.
A Kind and Artistic Duchess
Like many royal marriages of that time, Margherita's marriage was not always happy. The interests of her family and her husband's family often caused disagreements. People who knew Margherita said she had a gentle personality. She was a very religious woman. She helped poor and sick people. She also supported monks, especially the Theatines. In 1629, she helped them settle at the Church of St. Christina in Parma.
Margherita loved art and poetry. She supported the poet Claudio Achillini. She helped him get a teaching job at the University of Parma. During her marriage, Margherita only traveled outside Parma once with her husband. In 1620, they visited Piacenza. There, they saw the unveiling of statues of the Duke and his father, Alessandro Farnese.
Leading as Regent
Duke Ranuccio I died on March 5, 1622. His younger brother, Cardinal Odoardo, became the temporary ruler, or Regent. He ruled the Duchy of Parma for his 10-year-old nephew, Odoardo, who was the new Duke. When Cardinal Odoardo died in February 1626, Margherita became the new Regent for her son. She was now the Dowager Duchess.
Her time as Regent lasted for two years. This was during the Thirty Years' War, a big conflict in Europe. Margherita managed to keep the Duchy stable by staying neutral. In the War of the Mantuan Succession, she supported Charles Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers. He later became the Duke of Mantua and Montferrato.
In 1628, Duke Odoardo Farnese became old enough to rule on his own. Margherita then stepped down from her role as Regent. In October of that same year, Duke Odoardo married Margherita de' Medici. Back in 1620, Duke Ranuccio I had agreed for his son to marry Maria Cristina de' Medici. She was the oldest daughter of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. But in February 1627, it was decided that the Grand Duke's second daughter, Margherita de' Medici, would be the new bride. She eventually became the Duchess of Parma.
Not much is known about Margherita Aldobrandini after she stopped being Regent. We only know for sure that she continued to live at her son's court. Margherita Aldobrandini died in Parma on August 9, 1646. Her son, Duke Odoardo, died just a few weeks later, on September 11.
Her Children and Legacy
Margherita and Ranuccio I had nine children:
- Alessandro Francesco Maria Farnese (born August 8, 1602), who was the first Hereditary Prince of Parma and Piacenza, but died at birth.
- Maria Farnese (born September 5, 1603), who also died at birth.
- Alessandro Farnese (born September 5, 1610 – died July 24, 1630), who was the Hereditary Prince of Parma and Piacenza. He was deaf and could not speak from birth, so he was removed from the line of succession.
- Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma (born April 28, 1612 – died September 11, 1646), who married Margherita de' Medici and had children.
- Orazio Farnese (born July 7, 1613 – died February 28, 1614), who died as a baby.
- Maria Caterina Farnese (born February 18, 1615 – died July 25, 1646), who married Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and had children.
- Maria Farnese (born April 29, 1618), who died at birth.
- Vittoria Farnese (born April 29, 1618 – died August 10, 1649), who also married Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and had children.
- Francesco Maria Farnese (born August 19, 1620 – died July 13, 1647), who became a Cardinal.
