Piccarda Bueri (1368–1433) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

noblewoman of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Life

She was the daughter of Edoardo Bueri, a member of a family of ancient lineage from

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

with economic interests in other cities; the family was in fact in

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

in the first half of the fourteenth century when she was born. She was married to the young banker

Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (c. 1360 – February 1429) was an Italian banker and founder of the Medici Bank. While other members of the Medici family, such as Chiarissimo di Giambuono de' Medici, who served in the Signoria of Florence in ...

in 1386. She brought a dowry of 1500

florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...

to the marriage. She was known for her beauty, but her husband was known for being ugly. The marriage brought respectability to Giovanni and their children, since he was not of noble descent. Just before he died, he asked her to take care of their children. She was buried with him after her death in the Old Sacristy of

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

. Upon her death,

Carlo Marsuppini Carlo Marsuppini (1399–1453), also known as Carlo Aretino and Carolus Arretinus, was an Italian Renaissance humanist and chancellor of the Florentine Republic. Biography Marsuppini was born in Genoa into a family from Arezzo, but grew up and ...

wrote a eulogy in which he sang her praises, in which he compared the love between Piccarda and Giovanni with that of famous couples from antiquity. In it, he compared her with

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...

Artemisia II of Caria Artemisia II of Caria (Ancient Greek, Greek: Ἀρτεμισία; died 350 BC) was a naval strategist, commander and Sibling marriage#Sibling marriage and incest, the sister (and later spouse) and the successor of Mausolus, ruler of Caria. Mauso ...

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g. ...

and Porcia.

Issue

By her marriage, she had four sons: * Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (1389–1464) *Damiano di Giovanni de'Medici (d.1390). Most probraly Cosimo's twin, died in infancy. * Lorenzo di Giovanni de' Medici (1395–1440) *Antonio di Giovanni de' Medici (b. circa 1398). Died young

Fictional Depictions

Bueri is portrayed by

Debbie McGee Debra Ann McGee (born 31 October 1958) is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the assistant and widow of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and for three years was artistic director of her ...

in the 2016 television series '' Medici: Masters of Florence''.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bueri, Piccarda 1368 births 1433 deaths 14th-century people of the Republic of Florence 15th-century people of the Republic of Florence 14th-century Italian women 15th-century Italian women House of Medici Nobility from Florence Patrons of literature