Guidobaldo (Guido Ubaldo) da Montefeltro (25 January 1472 – 10 April 1508), also known as Guidobaldo I, 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 ...
condottiero and the
Duke of Urbino
The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1625.
It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the east ...
from 1482 to 1508.
Biography
Born in
Gubbio
Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines.
History
The city's origins are very ancient. ...
, he succeeded his father
Federico da Montefeltro
Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...
as
Duke of Urbino
The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1625.
It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the east ...
in 1482.
Guidobaldo married
Elisabetta Gonzaga
Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471–1526) was a noblewoman of the Italian Renaissance, renowned for her cultured and virtuous life. A member of the House of Gonzaga, she was a sister of Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and by marriage the Duchess ...
, the sister of
Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua. Guidobaldo was impotent, and they had no children, but Elisabetta refused to divorce him.
He fought as one of
Pope Alexander VI's captains alongside the French troops of King
Charles VIII of France during the latter's invasion of southern Italy; later, he was hired by the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
against Charles. In 1496, while fighting for the pope near
Bracciano, Guidobaldo was taken prisoner by the Orsini and the
Vitelli
The House of Vitelli, among other families so named, were a prominent noble family of Umbria, rulers of Città di Castello and lesser '' rocche''.
History
In spite of ambitious genealogies, there is no demonstrable connection with the ancient R ...
, being freed the following year.
Guidobaldo was forced to flee Urbino in 1502 to escape the armies of
Cesare Borgia, but returned after the death of Cesare Borgia's father,
Pope Alexander VI, in 1503. He adopted as his heir
Francesco Maria della Rovere, his sister's child and nephew of
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...
, thus uniting the seigniory of
Senigallia
Senigallia (or Sinigaglia in Old Italian, Romagnol: ''S’nigaja'') is a ''comune'' and port town on Italy's Adriatic coast. It is situated in the province of Ancona in the Marche region and lies approximately 30 kilometers north-west of the pro ...
with Urbino. He aided Pope Julius II in reconquering the Romagna.
The court of Urbino was at that time one of the most refined and elegant in Italy. Many men of letters met there. The Italo-English historian
Polydore Vergil
Polydore Vergil or Virgil (Italian: ''Polidoro Virgili''; commonly Latinised as ''Polydorus Vergilius''; – 18 April 1555), widely known as Polydore Vergil of Urbino, was an Italian humanist scholar, historian, priest and diplomat, who spent ...
may have worked in the service of Guidobaldo and Elisabetta as well as
Baldassare Castiglione
Baldassare Castiglione, Count of Casatico (; 6 December 1478 – 2 February 1529),Dates of birth and death, and cause of the latter, fro, ''Italica'', Rai International online. was an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier and a prominent Renaissanc ...
, the author of the book ''
The Book of the Courtier
''The Book of the Courtier'' ( it, Il Cortegiano ) by Baldassare Castiglione is a lengthy philosophical dialogue on the topic of what constitutes an ideal courtier or (in the third chapter) court lady, worthy to befriend and advise a Prince or pol ...
'', which describes the court of Urbino.
Suffering from
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...
, Guidobaldo died in
Fossombrone
Fossombrone is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche, central Italy.
History
The ancient Roman colony of ''Forum Sempronii'' took its name from Gaius Sempronius Gracchus.
Near the Furlo Pass, during the Gothic War ...
at the age of 36, and was succeeded by his nephew.
See also
*
Holy Conversation (Piero della Francesca)
The ''Brera Madonna'' (also known as the ''Pala di Brera'', the Montefeltro Altarpiece or Brera Altarpiece) is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, executed in 1472–1474. It is housed in the Pinacoteca di Brera o ...
*
Portrait of Luca Pacioli
The ''Portrait of Luca Pacioli'' is a painting attributed to the Italian Renaissance artist Jacopo de' Barbari, dating to around 1500 and housed in the Capodimonte Museum, Naples, southern Italy. The painting portrays the Renaissance mathematici ...
*
Saint George and the Dragon (Raphael)
''St. George and the Dragon'' is a small oil on wood cabinet painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael, painted ''c.'' 1505, and now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The saint wears the blue garter of the English O ...
Notes and references
Sources
*
*Pietro Bembo, ''Vita dello illustrissimo s. Guidobaldo duca d'Vrbino. E della illustriss. sig. Helisabetta Gonzaga sua consorte'', Firenze, Lorenzo Torrentino 1555
*P. Giovio. ''Istorie dei suoi tempi'', Venezia 1570
*F. Ugolini. ''Guidobaldo da Montefeltro'' in «Imparziale fiorentino», 1857
*Bernardino Baldi, ''Della vita e de' fatti di Guidobaldo I da Montefeltro, Duca d'Urbino libri dodici'', Milano, Silvestri 1821
*G. Franceschini. ''I Montefeltro'', Milano 1970
*C. H. Clough, A. Conti, ''Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, duca di Urbino: fu mai gonfaloniere di Sancta Romana Ecclesia?'' in «Studi Montefeltrani», n. 27, San Leo 2006
External links
''The Gubbio Studiolo and its conservation, volumes 1 & 2'' from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Guidobaldo da Montefeltro (see index)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montefeltro, Guidobaldo
1472 births
1508 deaths
People from Gubbio
Guidobaldo
15th-century condottieri
Knights of the Garter
Dukes of Urbino