Barbara Manfredi (1444–1466) was the wife of

Pino III Ordelaffi Pino III Ordelaffi (11 March 1436 – 10 February 1480) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Forlì. He was a member of the Ordelaffi family. Biography The son of Antonio I Ordelaffi, he was the brother of Francesco IV Ordelaffi, lord of Fo ...

, lord of

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

(

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

). She was born in

Faenza Faenza (, ; ; or ; ) is an Italian city and comune of 59,063 inhabitants in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated southeast of Bologna. Faenza is home to a historical manufacture of majolica-ware glazed earthenware pottery, known ...

, current

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, to Astorre II Manfredi, seignior of that city. At the age seven she was bethrothed to the powerful

, who married her in 1462. The following year Pino became ill. His brother

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

(Cecco) was suspected of poisoning him, but the Forlivese lord survived. Cecco was in the end assassinated, and Pino could be the sole lord of the city, maintaining that position thanks the support of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. However, when Barbara suddenly died, Pino was accused by Astorre of poisoning her. The magnificent sepulchre that her husband commissioned her (now in the

Abbey of San Mercuriale An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

in Forlì) was seen as a proof of his guilty conscience. It was the first tomb in Romagna designed on Renaissance principles. Pino would also be accused of later poisoning his second wife Zaffira Manfredi.Elizabeth Lev. ''The Tigress of Forli.'' Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Oct 18, 2011. pg.

References

1444 births 1466 deaths 15th-century Italian nobility People from Faenza People from Forlì {{Italy-noble-stub