Bianca Giovanna Sforza (1482 – 23 November 1496) was an Italian noblewoman, she was the illegitimate daughter, then legitimized of

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; 'the Moor'), and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini,

and his lover Bernardina de Corradis, she was wife of Galeazzo Sanseverino and favourite of Beatrice d'Este.

Early life

In the year of 1482, Bianca was born in Lombardy, Italy, from birth she was declared illegitimate and was the only daughter of

Ludovico Sforza Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; 'the Moor'), and called the "arbiter of Italy" by historian Francesco Guicciardini,

, (Regent of Milan) and his lover at the time who was known as Bernardina de Corradis. Following up with Bianca's childhood, not much has been uncovered yet and there has been little information given about the topic. In 1485, Bianca, (aged 3) was promised marriage to her father's new favourite, Galeazzo Sanseverino, who was 22 years old at the time. On a particular day, on December, year 1489, Bianca's cousin, Gian Galeazzo Sforza, the current Duke of Milan, granted the right to legitimize Bianca to Bernardina de Corradis's husband, the Duke Palatine Nicolò Gentili. With her fate now in somebody else's hands, finally, on November 14, 1489, almost a week later, Bianca was legitimized, she was now recognized as the child of Ludovico. This process took place in the Visconti-Sforza Castle (Vigevano). Proceeding with her legitimization, Bianca was officially married shortly after to Galeazzo Sanseverino, Captain General. According to Antonio Zunico, it is clearly stated that her father, Ludovico promised Bianca to the illustrious powerful marquis and soldier, Galeazzo Sanseverino. His aforementioned beloved daughter by way of marriage, with the intention of giving her to him in marriage as soon as she reached the legitimate age. About a month later, On January 10, 1490, in the Castello Sforzesco, the now newly-wed couple celebrated their marriage. Although most of Ludovico's decisions were influenced by his desire to please his favourite, Galeazzo, he took a part for himself, he set this up so he could expand his own feudal domains. To Ludovico, it was more of a project. He wanted the property the Dal Verme family had taken over after the tragic death of Count Pietro. And he decided to do that with his proclaimed daughter and son-in-law. Given the tender or inexperienced age of the bride, the marriage remained nominal for the most part. During this time period, Bianca continued living at court. She thrived, moving to family properties frequently and was pampered and spoiled by all, especially by her step-mom, Beatrice d'Este. The two met when she was just 15, Bianca treated her like a sister, and her family seemed to embrace her and welcomed her with open arms. Bianca was always by her step-mom's side, and followed her almost everywhere to events. The following year 1494, she accompanied her to

Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...

. Bianca cared for many, and was specifically close to Beatrice's second-born, Francesco. Bianca also spent time with Beatrice's first son, Maximilian Sforza. She could persuade him into taking his medicine and explain why, she's what people would call an angel sent from heaven. Her charm and enthusiasm to help made her likable.

''Mona Lisa''

Recent historical-artistic studies and confirmed scientific hypotheses have shown that the landscape that is in the background to

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

's ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...

'' is taken from Bobbio. The landscape that forms the background to the picture is that of Bobbio seen from the Malaspina dal Verme Castle, according to the scientific researcher Carla Glori. Furthermore, on the basis of these historical-artistic studies, the woman portrayed in the painting by Leonardo da Vinci is identified as Bianca Giovanna Sforza. File:Ponte Vecchio o ponte gobbo (o ponte del diavolo) - Bobbio (Piacenza).jpg, Ponte Gobbo or Ponte Vecchio, Bobbio (

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

) File:Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, from C2RMF retouched.jpg, The full ''

'' painting (, ) by

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, Paris File:Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci - Portrait de Mona Lisa (dite La Joconde) - Louvre 779 - Detail (right landscape).jpg, Detail of the background (right side) of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sforza, Bianca Giovanna 1482 births 1496 deaths Nobility from Milan Bianca Giovanna Sforza 15th-century Italian nobility 15th-century Italian women