Isabella Appiani (1577 – 10 November 1661) was Princess of
Piombino
Piombino is an Italian town and '' comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno ( Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.
...
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 statesman, banker, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Also known as Lorenzo ...
.
Life
She was the daughter of Alessandro Appiani and his wife, Isabella de Mendoza. In 1589 her father died; he was succeeded by her brother Jacob VII. As the boy was in his minority, their mother acted as
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
. In 1603, Jacob died childless, prompting fears of Spanish rule.
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the H ...
succeeded the same year; he ruled until 1611, until an invasion by the Appiani family which deposed Rudolf and replaced him with Isabella, Jacob's closest surviving relative.
Isabella was the first Princess of Piombino, but the third female ruler after
Paola Colonna Paola Colonna (c. 1378 – 3 November 1450) was the lady of Piombino from 1441 until 1445.
She was born in Genazzano as the daughter of Agapito Colonna, lord of Genazzano. Her brother Giordano was shortly Prince of Salerno and Duke of Venosa, whil ...
and
Caterina Appiani Caterina Appiani (1398 – 19 December 1451) was the lady of Piombino of the Appiani dynasty from 1445 until her death.Mauro Carrara, Signori e principi di Piombino, Bandecchi & Vivaldi, Pontedera 1996.
She was born at Piombino, the first daughte ...
, both of whom were titled ''Lady'' of Piombino. Her full title was: Isabella, Princess of Piombino, Marchioness of Populonia, Lady of Scarlino, Populonia,
Vignale
Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe.Abbadia del Fango,
Suvereto
Suvereto is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Livorno in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence and about southeast of Livorno.
Government
;''Frazioni ''
The municipality is formed by the municipal sea ...
Elba
Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...
,
Montecristo
Montecristo, also Monte Cristo (, ) and formerly Oglasa ( grc, Ὠγλάσσα, Ōglássa), is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea and part of the Tuscan Archipelago. Administratively it belongs to the municipality of Portoferraio in the province ...
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
; they had a son who died young and a daughter, Polissena, who married
Niccolò Ludovisi
Niccolò I Ludovisi (1610 – 25 December 1664) was Prince of Piombino from 1634 until his death, along his military and diplomatic career he was known and recorded in historical documents as Commander ''Niccolò da Candia'', for his engagement ...
and had issue. Giorgio died in 1618. Isabella was married secondly in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1622 to Paolo Giordano II Orsini, son of
Virginio Orsini, Duke of Bracciano
Virginio Orsini (September 1572 – 9 September 1615) was the second Duke of Bracciano, member of the Orsini family and knight of the order of the Golden Fleece.
He was the son of Paolo Giordano I Orsini and Isabella de' Medici, and inherited ...
. Following their marriage, Paolo commissioned
Simon Vouet
Simon Vouet (; 9 January 1590 – 30 June 1649) was a French painter who studied and rose to prominence in Italy before being summoned by Louis XIII to serve as Premier peintre du Roi in France. He and his studio of artists created religious and ...
to paint a portrait of Isabella.Simon Vouet /ref>
In 1628, the Spanish invaded again and managed to conquer the principality; as a result, Isabella and Paolo were forced to flee Piombino. In 1634, the principality was assigned to Isabella's son-in-law Niccolò.
In 1633, Isabella became a grandmother when her daughter Polissena gave birth to a son, Gregorio Filippo.
Isabella died in Rome on 10 November 1661, aged 83 or 84, having outlived her daughter and grandson.