Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga (13 November 1686 – 16 March 1741) was the Duchess of Rovere and Montefeltro as the wife of

Francesco Maria de' Medici Francesco Maria de' Medici (12 November 1660 – 3 February 1711) was a member of the House of Medici. He was successively a Governor of Siena, cardinal and later the heir of the duchy of Montefeltro by right of his mother. Biography Medici ...

. She was the eldest child of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla and Sabbioneta and his second wife, Princess Maria Vittoria Gonzaga of Guastalla (1659-1707). She did not bear any children.

Biography

Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga married Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro (titles inherited from his mother) on 14 July 1709. Her husband was 48 years old and morbidly obese. Before the marriage occurred,

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 ...

, who instigated the marriage, sent agents to Guastalla to ascertain her physical appearance. They concluded that she had beautiful skin, eyes, mouth, and waist. The

House of Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo de' Medici, Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first h ...

was desperately wanting in male heirs; Francesco Maria, previously a cardinal, was released from his vows through his brother's action to remedy this. Eleonora Luisa was repulsed by her husband, refusing to fulfil her marital duties. Despite requisitioning the assistance of her old confessor from Guastalla, Cosimo III could not cajole her into submitting, as she allegedly feared contracting

venereal diseases A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, oral ...

. Francesco Maria had her surmount this predicament and eventually the marriage was consummated. However, no heirs were born and as a result of this, Francesco Maria was devastated. On 2 February 1711, Francesco Maria died of

dropsy Edema (American English), also spelled oedema (British English), and also known as fluid retention, swelling, dropsy and hydropsy, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may inclu ...

, leaving behind exorbitant debts.Acton, p 251 Eleonora Luisa lingered on at Tuscany's court until the death of her nephew-in-law

Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Gian Gastone de' Medici (born Giovanni Battista Gastone; 25 May 1671 – 9 July 1737) was the seventh and last Medicean grand duke of Tuscany. He was the second son of Grand Duke Cosimo III and Marguerite Louise d'Orléans. His sister, Elect ...

. From there, she ventured to

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

in the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, where she died on 16 March 1741.

Ancestry

Citations

Bibliography

*Acton, Harold: ''The Last Medici'', Macmillan, London, 1980, {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzaga, Eleonora Luisa 1686 births 1741 deaths House of Medici Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga 17th-century Italian nobility 18th-century Italian people Italian noblewomen 18th-century Italian women Tuscan princesses