Virginio Orsini (September 1572 – 9 September 1615) was the second Duke of

Bracciano Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake ( Lago di Bracciano or "Sabatino", the eighth largest lake in Italy) and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Cast ...

, member of the

Orsini family The House of Orsini is an Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Stephen II (752-757), Paul I (757-767), Celestine II ...

and knight of the order of the Golden Fleece. He was the son of

Paolo Giordano I Orsini Paolo Giordano Orsini (1541 – 13 November 1585) was an Italian nobleman, and the first duke of Bracciano from 1560. He was a member of the Roman family of the Orsini. Biography The son of Girolamo Orsini and Francesca Sforza, he was grandson, o ...

and

Isabella de' Medici Isabella Romola de' Medici (31 August 1542 – 16 July 1576) was the daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Eleonora di Toledo. She was raised and educated in a humanist manner with her siblings, including Francesco de' ...

, and inherited his father's titles and fiefs after his death in 1585. In 1589 he married Flavia Peretti, a niece of

Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

, by whom he had 11 children. His son

Paolo Giordano Paolo Giordano (born 1982) is an Italian writer who won the Premio Strega literary award with his first novel ''The Solitude of Prime Numbers''. Biography Paolo Giordano was born on December 19, 1982, in Turin, Italy. He studied physics at ...

became a prince of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

through his marriage with

Isabella Appiani Isabella Appiani (1577 – 10 November 1661) was Princess of Piombino from 1611 until 1628. Through her father, she was a descendant of Lorenzo de' Medici Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesma ...

princess of Piombino The Lordship of Piombino (''Signoria di Piombino''), and after 1594 the Principality of Piombino (''Principato di Piombino''), was a small state on the Italian peninsula centred on the city of Piombino and including part of the island of Elba. It ...

. Virginio Orsini was a supporter of the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

and visited the English court for the Christmas revels in December 1600. He was entertained by Shakespeare's ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' and the play opens with the character of Duke Orsino saying the famous line "If music be the food of love, play on." Queen Elizabeth danced a

galliard The ''galliard'' (; french: gaillarde; it, gagliarda) was a form of Renaissance dance and music popular all over Europe in the 16th century. It is mentioned in dance manuals from England, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Dance fo ...

for him to show the "vigour of her old age". Sarah Williams
''Letters of John Chamberlain'' (London, 1861), p. 99
/ref> He died in Rome in 1615.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsini, Virginio 1572 births 1615 deaths

Virginio Virginio is a given name, and may refer to: * Virginio Cáceres (born 1962), Paraguayan footballer * Virginio Colombo (1885–1927), Italian architect * Virginio Ferrari (born 1952), Italian motorcycle racer * Virginio Ferrari (artist) (21st cen ...

Knights of the Golden Fleece