Caterina Visconti (1361 – 17 October 1404
) was Duchess of Milan as the second spouse of
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the first
Duke of Milan
The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna.
Before elevation to duchy
Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that elec ...
, and was the mother of two succeeding Dukes of Milan,
Gian Maria and
. Caterina served as Regent of Milan from 1402 to 1404, during her elder son's minority, but due to Gian Maria's suspicion of her alleged
treason (planted in his mind by her enemy, the
condottiero
''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...
Facino Cane), he had his mother arrested and imprisoned in the castle of
Monza, where she was presumably poisoned in 1404.
Family
Caterina was born in Milan, one of the seventeen children of
Bernabò Visconti
Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italians, Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo II Visconti, Matteo and Galeazzo II Visconti, Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of ...
, Lord of Milan, and
Beatrice Regina della Scala (1331 – 18 June 1384). Her paternal grandparents were
Stefano Visconti, Lord of Milan, and Valentina
Doria
Doria or Dória may refer to:
People Surname
* Doria (family), a prominent Genoese family
** Andrea Doria (1466–1560), Genoese admiral
** Ansaldo Doria, 12th century Genoese statesman and commander
** Brancaleone Doria (died c. 1409?), husband ...
, and her maternal grandparents were
Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala (1308 – 3 June 1351) was lord of Verona. He was a member of the famous Scaliger family of Northern Italy.
He was the son of Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice da Correggio. At the death of Cangrande I, he and his brother ...
and Taddea
da Carrara
The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405.
Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, ...
.
Her niece,
Isabeau of Bavaria
Isabeau of Bavaria (or Isabelle; also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – September 1435) was Queen of France from 1385 to 1422. She was born into the House of Wittelsbach as the only daughter of Duke Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingols ...
, daughter of her eldest sister,
Taddea, was a Queen consort of France upon her marriage in 1385 to King
Charles VI. Following the murder of her maternal grandfather, Isabeau became one of the most implacable enemies of Caterina's husband Gian Galeazzo and his daughter,
Valentina, Duchess of Orleans.
Marriage
Early in 1379, a possible marriage was discussed between Caterina and King
Richard II of England
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father di ...
. The King's tutor and advisor, Sir Simon Burley went to Milan to negotiate, but he had misgivings about the match.
Bernabò also rejected it, as he favoured another alliance for his daughter. On 2 October 1380, in the Church of
San Giovanni in Conca
San Giovanni in Conca is a crypt of a former basilica church in Milan, northern Italy. It is now located in the centre of Piazza Missori.
History
The basilica of San Giovanni in Conca dates from the 4th century, and was located in a residential ...
, at the age of about nineteen, Caterina married her first cousin, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, whose first wife
Isabelle of Valois had died in 1373 in childbirth, leaving him three sons who all died young, and a daughter,
Valentina Visconti, who, in 1389, married
Louis, Duke of Orleans. From Isabelle, Gian Galeazzo had inherited the title of Count of Vertus in
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, sp ...
.
In 1385, Gian Galeazzo deposed Caterina's father, Bernabò as Lord of Milan. Bernabò was imprisoned at the
Castle of Trezzo where he was allegedly poisoned on orders of Gian Galeazzo.
Caterina became the Duchess of Milan on 11 May 1395, when her husband was created the first duke by
Wenceslaus, King of the Romans for 100,000
florins. To commemorate the event, a
missal was painted by
Anovelo da Imbonate, depicting, in the foreground, the kneeling figures of Caterina and Gian Galeazzo. It is now in the library of the
Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio (official name: ''Basilica romana minore collegiata abbaziale prepositurale di Sant'Ambrogio'') is a church in the center of Milan, northern Italy.
History
One of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by ...
in Milan.
Her husband granted her the castle of
Monza and the
signoria of Vicenza.
Caterina and her husband commissioned the construction of the
Certosa di Pavia, which began on 27 August 1396.
Issue
She and Gian Galeazzo had three children:
* Daughter (June 1385 – 9 July 1385).
*
Gian Maria Visconti
Gian Maria Visconti (or Giovanni Maria; 7 September 1388 – 16 May 1412) was the second Visconti Duke of Milan, the son of Gian Galeazzo Visconti and Caterina Visconti. He was known to be cruel and was eventually assassinated. He had no childre ...
(7 September 1388 – assassinated 16 May 1412), 2nd Duke of Milan, married Antonia
Malatesta Malatesta may refer to:
People Given name
* Malatesta (I) da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a famous condottiero
*Malatesta IV Baglioni (1491–1531), Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia, Bettona, ...
, died childless.
*
(23 September 1392 – 13 August 1447), 3rd Duke of Milan, married
Beatrice Lascaris di Tenda
Beatrice Lascaris di Tenda or Beatrice de Tende or Beatrix (c. 1372 – 1418), was an Italian noblewoman who was the wife of Facino Cane, Count of Biandrate and a condottiero, and then wife to Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, who had he ...
, widow of Facino Cane. The marriage was childless and he had her executed on charges of adultery. By his mistress,
Agnese del Maino
Agnese del Maino (c. 1411 – 13 December 1465) was a Milanese noblewoman and the mistress of Filippo Maria Visconti, the last legitimate duke of Milan of the Visconti dynasty. Agnese was the mother of Duchess Bianca Maria Visconti.
Family
Ag ...
, he had a daughter,
Bianca Maria Visconti
Bianca Maria Visconti (31 March 1425 – 28 October 1468) was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468 by marriage to Francesco I Sforza. She was regent of Marche during the absence of her spouse in 1448. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Milan duri ...
, who succeeded him as Duchess of Milan.
Regency and death
When Gian Galeazzo died of a fever on 3 September 1402, Caterina became regent for her son Gian Maria who was fourteen years old. The Duchy was riven by strife and numerous revolts as rival factions between Gian Galeazzo's legitimate and illegitimate heirs contested for land and power during her regency. Caterina's faction was led by
Francesco Barbavara, Count of Valsesia, and a member of the regency council. The faction led by her enemy, the condottiero Facino Cane, however prevailed; thus he, along with the illegitimate sons of Gian Galeazzo, created doubts about Caterina's loyalty in her son's mind. Convinced of his mother's treachery, Gian Maria had Caterina arrested on 18 August 1404 and imprisoned in her own castle of Monza, where she died on 17 October 1404, allegedly of poisoning. She was about forty-three years old.
Her son Gian Maria was assassinated in 1412 by a group of Milanese
Ghibellines. Caterina's second son Filippo Maria succeeded him as Duke of Milan.
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visconti, Caterina
1361 births
1404 deaths
Caterina
Duchesses of Milan
Assassinated Italian people
14th-century Italian women
15th-century Italian women
Italian nobility
15th-century women rulers
Murdered royalty