Italian mistress and Grandduchess of Tuscany. Born into a Venetian noble family, she met the Florentine clerk Pietro Bonaventuri in 1563 and fell in love with him. Their relationship was frowned upon and they fled to Florence. There they were married and she gave birth to a daughter. The legend says that Francesco de Medici came by her house in 1563, saw her and instantly fell in love. They soon became a couple and Pietro was given court employment and a house close to the Palazzo Pitti. He was killed in 1572 on the streets of Florence by a business partner. Due to political reasons Francesco had to marry Johanna of Austria in 1565 but openly continued his affair with Bianca. They were married two months after Johannas death on July 5, 1578. In the following year the marriage was publicly announced and Bianca crowned Grand Duchess of Tuscany. The couple was not very popular with its people and spent its time mostly outside of Florence. In October 1587 they were at the Villa Medici in Poggio a Caiano where they both became ill and died within hours of each other. The first autopsy speaks of malarial fever as cause of death, but some believed of arsenic poisoning. While Francesco was buried with his family in San Lorenzo, his brother, who hated Bianca, apparently denied her that honor. It was said that she was buried in a mass grave, but her body was never found. Her intestines were buried separately from the body and were only found in 2006.
Italian mistress and Grandduchess of Tuscany. Born into a Venetian noble family, she met the Florentine clerk Pietro Bonaventuri in 1563 and fell in love with him. Their relationship was frowned upon and they fled to Florence. There they were married and she gave birth to a daughter. The legend says that Francesco de Medici came by her house in 1563, saw her and instantly fell in love. They soon became a couple and Pietro was given court employment and a house close to the Palazzo Pitti. He was killed in 1572 on the streets of Florence by a business partner. Due to political reasons Francesco had to marry Johanna of Austria in 1565 but openly continued his affair with Bianca. They were married two months after Johannas death on July 5, 1578. In the following year the marriage was publicly announced and Bianca crowned Grand Duchess of Tuscany. The couple was not very popular with its people and spent its time mostly outside of Florence. In October 1587 they were at the Villa Medici in Poggio a Caiano where they both became ill and died within hours of each other. The first autopsy speaks of malarial fever as cause of death, but some believed of arsenic poisoning. While Francesco was buried with his family in San Lorenzo, his brother, who hated Bianca, apparently denied her that honor. It was said that she was buried in a mass grave, but her body was never found. Her intestines were buried separately from the body and were only found in 2006.
Bio by: Lutetia
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Cappello memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
