Polissena Sforza (1428 – June 1, 1449) 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 Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteri ...

and wife of the Lord of Rimini. She was the daughter of the condottiero

Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'A ...

, the future Duke of Milan, and Giovanna d'Acquapendente, his mistress, with whom he had five children. She was named after Francesco's first wife,

Polissena Ruffo Polissena Ruffo (1400 Cariati - 17 July 1420) was a princess of Calabria. Princess of Rossano, countess of Corigliano and Montalto was the daughter of Carlo Ruffo di Montalto and Ceccarella Sanseverino. She married Francesco Sforza (founder of ...

, who had died in 1420. Between 1441 and April 1442, at the age of thirteen, she married

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (19 June 1417 – 7 October 1468) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, a member of the House of Malatesta and lord of Rimini and Fano from 1432. He was widely considered by his contemporaries as one of the mo ...

, Lord of Rimini. She became Sigismondo's second wife, after

Ginevra d'Este Ginevra d'Este (24 March 1419 - 12 October 1440) was an Italian noblewoman. She and her twin sister Lucia (died 1437) were daughters of Niccolò III d'Este and his second wife Parisina Malatesta - they also had a younger brother, who died aged a f ...

, who had died in 1440. During their marriage, Polissena participated in the social and ceremonial aspects of Rimini's

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

. She had two children with Sigismondo: Galeotto, born in January 1443 and , born in 1444 or 1445. Giovanna was married to , with a betrothal in 1451. Galeotto died young, predeceasing Polissena.

Pope Nicholas V Pope Nicholas V ( la, Nicholaus V; it, Niccolò V; 13 November 1397 – 24 March 1455), born Tommaso Parentucelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 March 1447 until his death in March 1455. Pope Eugene made ...

issued a

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

declaring Polissena of legitimate birth on November 1, 1448. On June 1, 1449, Polissena died in Rimini at the Abbey of Scolca. Her death was likely due to plague, although there were rumors she was suffocated on Sigismondo's orders. The rumors are not generally credited by modern historians. During his marriage to Polissena, Sigismondo also had a mistress,

Isotta degli Atti Isotta degli Atti (late 1432 or 1433 – 9 July 1474) was an Italian Renaissance woman and regent. She was the mistress and later wife of the condottiero and lord of Rimini, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. She governed Rimini as regent during the ex ...

. His interest in Isotta began in 1445, when she was twelve. Their relationship began in 1446, and she gave birth to their first child in 1447. He married Isotta in 1453 or 1454.

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August ...

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

and tried Sigismondo in 1460 and 1461, accusing him, along with many other charges, of having both Ginevra and Polissena killed. When this failed to have the desired effect on Sigismondo's behavior, Pius conducted what he referred to as an "ironic canonization by a new and unusual mode of speech." On April 27, 1462, he publicly proclaimed that Sigismondo, though still alive, was damned to Hell, the only time any pope has made such a declaration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sforza, Polissena 1428 births 1449 deaths People from Rimini Polissena House of Malatesta 15th-century Italian women 15th-century Italian nobility Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta