Eleonora degli Albizzi (1543 – 19 March 1634) was a mistress of

Cosimo I de' Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Life Rise to power Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...

, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. She had an illegitimate son with him, Don Giovanni de' Medici.

History

She was the daughter of an ancient Florentine family of moderate means, daughter of Luigi degli

Albizzi The Albizzi family () was a Florentine family originally based in Arezzo, who were rivals of the Medici and Alberti families. They were at the centre of Florentine oligarchy from 1382, in the reaction that followed the Ciompi revolt, to the ris ...

and Nannina Soderini. With the consent of her father, by 1565, at the age of about 23–24 years, she became the mistress of the Granduke, who was a widower since the death of

Eleonora of Toledo Eleanor of Toledo (Italian: ''Eleonora di Toledo'', 11 January 1522 – 17 December 1562), born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, was a Spanish noblewoman and Duchess of Florence as the first wife of Cosimo I de' Medici. A keen businessw ...

in 1562. In 1566, Albizzi had a daughter with the Duke. She soon died as an infant. In 1567 she had a son,

Giovanni Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

. Rumors began to circulate that Cosimo wish to legitimize his union to Eleonora. Tradition holds that his long-time chamberlain Sforza Almeni of Perugia shared the Duke's desires with Francesco I, the legitimate heir who was increasingly the dominant force in the government. Francesco, likely worried about the entry of potential heirs and a mother-in-law, scolded his father about those plans. Thereupon, seized by rage because his secret desires had been revealed, on May 22, 1566, the Granduke is said to personally stabbed his chamberlain to death.Frescos by Vasari for Sforza Almeni, 'Coppiere'' to Duke Cosimo I
by Charles Davis. This event, along with others episodes such as the rumored murder of

Filippo Strozzi the Younger Filippo Strozzi the Younger (January 4, 1489 – December 18, 1538) was a Florentine banker, and the most famous member of the Strozzi family in the Renaissance. He is best remembered as a tragic hero and defender of the lost Florentine republic ...

, reinforced a perception that Cosimo was possessed of an excessively passionate, if not bloodthirsty, ruthlessness. The love affair between Cosimo and Eleonora quickly cooled, and by 1567 she was forced to marry the dishonored nobleman Carlo Panciatichi. Cosimo meanwhile latched on to an affair with another young woman, Camilla Martelli. Panchiato had faced execution for rebellion, and was herewith pardoned and granted a reward of 10 thousand scudi to take Eleonora. It is unclear what role his legitimate children played in arranging to remove Albizzi from the Grand Duke's orbit. Eleonora had three children with Carlo, including Bartolomeo (born 1577). However, in 1578, she was accused of adultery and confined to the Monastery of Fuligno. She lived at the monastery for the last 56 years of her life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albizzi, Leonora 1543 births 1634 deaths

Eleonora Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

16th-century Italian women 16th-century people of the Republic of Florence