Costanza d'Avalos (1460–1541), Duchess of
Francavilla, was an Italian ruler. She was the ruler of the Duchy of Francavilla between 1501 and 1541.
Life
She was the daughter of
Innico I d'Avalos of the Spanish
d'Avalos family, count of
Monteodorisio, and
Antonella d'Aquino, heiress to the marquisate of
Pescara
Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...
. Her father had come to Italy with
Alfonso V of Aragon in 1442.
She was given in marriage to
Federico del Balzo, Prince of
Altamura
Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basilic ...
and Duke of
Venosa
Venosa ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervasio, ...
, son of
Pietro del Balzo and brother of the Queen of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Isabella
Isabella may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Isabella (surname), including a list of people
Places
United States
* Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...
.
Duchess of Francavilla
After she was widowed without children, in 1483, King
Frederick of Naples
Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the second son of Ferdinan ...
granted her the Duchy of
Francavilla in 1501. She then followed her brother,
Innico II d'Avalos, to
Ischia
Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...
, where he died in 1503.
Later that year, she defended Ischia against the French for four consecutive months, with great skill and bravery. Her services were rewarded by the settlement of the civil and military government of the island on the d'Avalos family, which power it retained until 1734, when its military command was transferred to Naples.
She established her court at Ischia, which was frequented by many Neapolitan intellectuals of the period.
On 13 June 1507, she signed a marriage contract between her nephew
Fernando Francesco d'Ávalos and
Vittoria Colonna
Vittoria Colonna (April 149225 February 1547), marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet. As an educated, married noblewoman whose husband was in captivity, Colonna was able to develop relationships within the intellectual circl ...
. The marriage took place on Ischia in December 1509. Vittoria, shortly after her marriage, spent her time on Ischia with Costanza.
In 1523
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
granted to Costanza the land which nowadays forms
Pescara
Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...
.
She died in 1541, after Charles V had given her the title of Princess of Francavilla.
Literary influence
On Ischia, Costanza established a circle of literary friends around her, among which were the poet
Vittoria Colonna
Vittoria Colonna (April 149225 February 1547), marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet. As an educated, married noblewoman whose husband was in captivity, Colonna was able to develop relationships within the intellectual circl ...
, the wife of her nephew,
Sannazaro
Jacopo Sannazaro (; 28 July 1458 – 6 August 1530) was an Italian poet, humanist and epigrammist from Naples.
He wrote easily in Latin, in Italian and in Neapolitan, but is best remembered for his humanist classic ''Arcadia'', a masterwork tha ...
,
Paolo Giovio
Paolo Giovio (also spelled ''Paulo Jovio''; Latin: ''Paulus Jovius''; 19 April 1483 – 11 December 1552) was an Italian physician, historian, biographer, and prelate.
Early life
Little is known about Giovio's youth. He was a native of Com ...
,
Tansillo
Luigi Tansillo (1510–1568) was an Italian poet of the Petrarchian school. Born in Venosa, he entered the service of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo in 1536 and in 1540 entered the Accademia degli Umidi, soon renamed Accademia Fiorentina.
He was asso ...
and
Bernardo Tasso
Bernardo Tasso (11 November 14935 September 1569), born in the Republic of Venice, was an Italian courtier and poet.
Biography
He was, for many years, secretary in the service of the prince of Salerno, and his wife Porzia de Rossi was closely c ...
.
She also became a follower of
Juan de Valdés
Juan de Valdés (c.1490 – August 1541) was a Spanish religious writer and Catholic reformer.
He was the younger of twin sons of Fernando de Valdés, hereditary ''regidor'' of Cuenca in Castile, where Valdés was born. He has been confuse ...
and attended his lectures and discussions at his house in
Chiaia
Chiaia (, ) is an affluent neighbourhood on the seafront in Naples, Italy, bounded by Piazza Vittoria on the east and Mergellina on the west. Chiaia is one of the wealthiest districts in Naples, and many luxury brands have shops on its main street. ...
.
Legacy
Scholarly as well as amateur speculation has assigned the
Mona Lisa
The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...
's name to Costanza (among other women) - she was referred to as La Gioconda.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costanza D'avalos, Duchess Of Francavilla
D'Avalos family
1460 births
1541 deaths
16th-century women rulers
Women in 16th-century warfare
16th-century Italian women