Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino (31 December 1493 – 13 February 1570) was Duchess and for sometime regent of Urbino by marriage to Francesco Maria I della Rovere, duke of Urbino. She served as regent during the absence of her spouse in 1532.

Life

She was the eldest of the seven children of

Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua Francesco II Gonzaga (10 August 1466 – ) was the ruler of the Italian city of Mantua from 1484 until his death. Biography Francesco was born in Mantua, the son of Marquis Federico I Gonzaga. Francesco had a career as a condottiero acting as V ...

, and Isabella d'Este. Her father was a notorious

libertine A libertine is a person questioning and challenging most moral principles, such as responsibility or Human sexual activity, sexual restraints, and will often declare these traits as unnecessary, undesirable or evil. A libertine is especially som ...

, her mother a famous patroness of the arts. On 25 September 1509 she married Francesco Maria I della Rovere, duke of Urbino, son of Giovanni della Rovere, duca di Sora e Senegaglia, and Giovanna da Montefeltro, and nephew of

Pope Julius II Pope Julius 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, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

. Their surviving children, two sons and three daughters, would all have progeny. Eleonora, who was largely responsible for the internal government of Urbino during her husband's exile, was an important patron of the arts in her own right. A princess of the highest culture, she was the friend of

Pietro Bembo Pietro Bembo, (; 20 May 1470 – 18 January 1547) was a Venetian scholar, poet, and literary theory, literary theorist who also was a member of the Knights Hospitaller and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. As an intellectual of the Italian Re ...

, Sadolet and Baldassarre Castiglione, as well as

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

painted her once formally, in 1537, a companion to his portrait of her husband Francesco from the same year, but her face appears to be recognisable in three other Titian paintings of about that time: ''La Bella'', ''Girl in the Fur Cloak'' and possibly the ''Venus of Urbino'' commissioned by her son Guidobaldo.

Issue

By her husband, she had 13 children: *Federico della Rovere (1511 — died aged two months). * Guidobaldo II della Rovere (2 April 1514 — 28 September 1574), married Giulia Varano and had issue; married Vittoria Farnese (daughter of Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma) had issue (ancestors of Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina). * Ippolita della Rovere (1515 — 1561), reportedly married Antonio of Aragon, Duke of Montalto, son of Fernando de Aragón, 1st Duke of Montalto. *Giovanna della Rovere (1515 — 1518). *Giovanni della Rovere (1516 — 1518). *Caterina della Rovere (1518 — 1520). *Beatrice della Rovere (1521 — 1522). *Francesco Maria della Rovere (1523 — 1525). *Maria della Rovere (1527 — 1528). * Elisabetta della Rovere (1529 — 6 June 1561), married Alberico I Cybo-Malaspina, Marquis of Massa and had issue (ancestors of

Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina (29 June 1725 29 December 1790) was sovereign Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. From 1780, she also formally held the title of Duchess consort of Modena and Reggio as the wi ...

). * Giulia Feltria della Rovere (1531 — 4 April 1563), married Alfonso d'Este, Lord of Montecchio and had issue (were parents of

Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena Cesare d'Este (8 October 1562 – 11 December 1628) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1597 until his death. Biography Born in Ferrara, Cesare was the son of Alfonso d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio, fourth son of Alfonso I d'Este and the ...

). * Giulio Feltrio della Rovere (1533 — 1578), became a cardinal then later had issue (illegitimate): IppolitoLater legitimised and named Marchese di San Lorenzo. Ippolito's daughter Lucrezia married Marcantonio Lante and their son assumed the new extended surname as Ippolito Lante Montefeltro della Rovere and Giulio. *Violante della Rovere (1535 — 1538).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzaga, Eleonor 1493 births 1570 deaths Nobility of Mantua 16th-century Italian women 16th-century Italian nobility Della Rovere family Eleonora Gonzaga (1493-1570) Duchesses of Urbino Italian artists' models 16th-century women rulers