Francesco Maria II della Rovere (20 February 1549 – 23 April 1631) was the last

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 1631. It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the ea ...

Biography

Born at

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

, Francesco Maria was the son of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, Count of

Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in northern Italy. It gave its name to the House of Montefeltro, Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The mountainous region includes San Marino ...

and Vittoria Farnese, Princess of

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

. He was raised between 1565 and 1568 at the Royal court of

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

. While there he met a Spanish girl and informed his father of his intention to marry her. But his father would not allow it and demanded he return to Urbino. In 1570 Francesco Maria married Lucrezia d'Este, a daughter of

Ercole II d'Este Ercole II d'Este (4 April 1508 – 3 October 1559) was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Biography Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexand ...

. His father died only a few years later, in 1574, and Francesco Maria succeeded his father as Duke of Urbino. By 1580 the family estate was in crisis and Francesco Maria was forced to sell his family's titles – the

Duchy of Sora The Duchy of Sora was a Historical states of Italy, semi-independent state in Italy, created in 1443 by King Alfonso V of Aragon, Alfonso I of Naples and dissolved in 1796. It occupied the south-eastern part of what is today Lazio, bordering what i ...

and Arce – for 100,000

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula from 1551 until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from t ...

Giacomo Boncompagni Giacomo Boncompagni (also ''Jacopo Boncompagni''; 8 May 1548 – 18 August 1612) was an Italian feudal lord of the 16th century, the illegitimate son of Pope Gregory XIII (Ugo Boncompagni). He was also Duke of Sora, Aquino, Arce and Arpino, a ...

. Francesco Maria's marriage, though, remained childless and Francesco Maria needed a male heir. Without one, his family's remaining titles would lapse on his death and his entire estate would be acquired, by default, by the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

. So in 1599, after the death of first wife Lucrezia, he married his cousin

Livia della Rovere Livia della Rovere (16 December 1585 – 6 July 1641) was an Italian nobility, Italian noblewoman of the House of della Rovere and the last Duchess of Urbino (1599–1631). Life Born in Pesaro on 16 December 1585,

, 36 years his junior. On 16 May 1605 their long-expected and only child Federico Ubaldo was born. Federico Ubaldo married

Claudia de' Medici Claudia de' Medici (4 June 1604 – 25 December 1648) was Regent of the Austrian County of Tyrol during the minority of her son from 1632 until 1646. Biography Early life Born in Florence into the House of Medici, Claudia was the youngest d ...

in 1621 and was made Duke by his father. However, Federico died in 1623 from an epileptic attack, leaving only a daughter,

Vittoria Della Rovere Vittoria della Rovere (7 February 1622 – 5 March 1694) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. She had four children with her husband, two of whom would survive infancy: the future Cosimo III, Tuscany's longes ...

, wife of

Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando II de' Medici (14 July 1610 – 23 May 1670) was Grand Duchy of Tuscany, grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest son of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo II de' Medici and Archduchess Maria Mad ...

; their child was

Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdina ...

; none of Cosimo III's children had heirs. The aging Francesco Maria took up the title of Duke again, but as there was no more hope for a male heir, he gave his Duchy to

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

in 1625. The Pope's nephew

Taddeo Barberini Taddeo Barberini (1603–1647) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Barberini who became Prince of Palestrina and Gonfalonier of the Church; commander of the Papal Army. He was a nephew of Pope Urban VIII and brother of Cardinals Francesc ...

took control of the duchy which was annexed to the

after Francesco's death at

Urbania Urbania is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region of Marche, located about west of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro, next to the river Metauro. Urbania borders the following municipalities: ...

in 1631. The last member of the della Rovere family, Vittoria, inherited the Duke's art collection and had it transferred to

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

to the

Uffizi Gallery The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of ...

Marriages

# Lucrezia d'Este on 19 January 1570, daughter of

Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara Ercole II d'Este (4 April 1508 – 3 October 1559) was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Biography Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexande ...

and

Renée of France Renée of France (25 October 1510 – 12 June 1574), was List of Ferrarese consorts, Duchess of Ferrara from 31 October 1534 until 3 October 1559 by marriage to Ercole II d'Este, grandson of Pope Alexander VI. She was the younger surviving ch ...

. #

on 29 April 1599, daughter of Ippolito della Rovere and Isabella Vitelli dei Signori dell'Amatrice.

Issue

Federico Ubaldo della Rovere Federico Ubaldo della Rovere (16 May 1605 – 28 June 1623) was Duke of Urbino from 1621 to 1623. He was father of Vittoria della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. Biography His father Francesco Maria II della Rovere was popularly urged to rema ...

(16 May 1605 – 28 June 1623) son of Livia della Rovere, was

and the father of

Vittoria della Rovere Vittoria della Rovere (7 February 1622 – 5 March 1694) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany as the wife of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. She had four children with her husband, two of whom would survive infancy: the future Cosimo III, Tuscany's longes ...

Gallery

File:Double portrait of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, and his son, Francesco Maria II.JPG, Francesco Maria with his father Guidobaldo II File:Francesco-Maria-II-della-Rovere.jpg, Francesco Maria II, portrait by

Federico Barocci Federico Barocci (also written Barozzi) ( – 30 September 1612) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and influential, and foresha ...

File:Portrait of Francesco I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1541-1587).jpg, Francesco Maria II, portrait by Federico Barocci (workshop) File:Ritratto di Francesco Maria II della Rovere (1549-1631), scuola di Federico Barocci. 1585 circa.jpg, Francesco Maria II, portrait by Federico Barocci (workshop), 1585 circa File:Giovanni bandini e bottega, busto di francesco maria II della rovere, 1590 ca, restaurato dal foggini nel 1691.JPG, Bust of Francesco Maria II by Giovanni Bandini File:Portrait of Maddalena Osuna Giron, traditionally identified as Lucrezia d'Este - Casa Santi.jpg, Lucrezia d'Este, 1st wife File:Livia Della Rovere duchess of Urbino.jpg,

, 2nd wife

References

Notes

Citations

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Della Rovere, Francesco Maria 2 1549 births 1631 deaths Francesco Maria 2 People from Pesaro Francesco Maria 2 Francesco Maria 2 16th-century Italian nobility 17th-century Italian nobility