Virginia de' Medici (29 May 1568 – 15 January 1615) was an Italian princess, a member of the House of Medici and by marriage Duchess of Modena and Reggio.
Regent of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1601 during the absence of her husband, she was able to protect the autonomy of the city of Modena from the attacks of the local Podestà and Judge. Her husband's infidelities increased her already erratic behavior and led to a permanent mental illness, which lasted until her death.
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Life
Early years
Born in Florence on 29 May 1568, Virginia was the illegitimate daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his mistress Camilla Martelli. Her paternal grandparents were the famous condottiere Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and his wife Maria Salviati (in turn the granddaughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent) and her maternal grandparents were Antonio Martelli and Fiammetta Soderini, both members of the most important families among the Florentine patricians.
Virginia was born after the formal resignation of her father of the government on behalf of her half-brother Francesco. Cosimo I contracted a morganatic marriage with Camilla Martelli on 29 March 1570 on the advice of Pope Pius V, and this allowed him to legitimize their daughter on the principle of per subsequens. Since that time, she lived with her parents at the Villa di Castello during the summer and in Pisa in winter. Cosimo I's older children resented their father's second marriage, and after the death of the Grand Duke in 1574, they imprisoned Camilla in the Florentine convent of Murate.
Despite the controversy about her illegitimate birth and ambiguous position in the Grand Ducal house, Virginia's older brothers began negotiations with the House of Sforza of a marriage between her and one of its members. In 1581 she was betrothed to Francesco Sforza, Count of Santa Fiora, but the wedding didn't take place because the groom chose the ecclesiastical career and became a Cardinal. After this, it was decided to arrange her marriage with a member of the House of Este with the purpose to improve the relations between both families and break the isolation of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany from the other Italian states. Virginia's half-brother Cardinal Ferdinando agreed with Cardinal Luigi d'Este in approving the marriage of his nephew and Virginia. In addition, the second wife of Grand Duke Francesco I, Bianca Cappello, also contributed to the conclusion of negotiations and the formation of this alliance.
Marriage and issue
In Florence on 6 February 1586 Virginia married Cesare d'Este, son of Alfonso, Marquis of Montecchio. To celebrate this event was represented the comedy "l’Amico Fido", written by Giovanni de' Bardi and with the lyrics of Alessandro Striggio and Cristofano Malvezzi, and in Ferrara the poet Torquato Tasso dedicated a Cantata to the newlyweds.
The union produced ten children, six sons and four daughters:
Giulia d'Este (26 April 1588–1645); died unmarried.
Laura d'Este (1590–1630); married Alessandro I Pico, Duke of Mirandola
Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena (1591–1644), Duke of Modena from 1628; married Princess Isabella of Savoy
Luigi d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio and Scandiano (1594–1664), General at the Imperial army
Caterina d'Este (1595–1618); died unmarried.
Anna Eleonora d'Este (1597–1651); a Poor Clare nun under the name of Sister Angela Caterina and later Abbess of the Monastery of Santa Chiara of Carpi.
Ippolito Geminiano d'Este (15 August 1599–1647), Knight of the Order of Malta and Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Niccolo d'Este (1601–1640), Captain at the Imperial Army; married Sveva d'Avalos
Borso d'Este (1605–1657), Colonel at the Imperial Army and later General in the French Army; married Ippolita d'Este (illegitimate daughter of his brother Luigi)
Foresto d'Este (1606–1639), Captain at the Imperial Army
Mental illness and death
In 1596, Virginia manifested the first signs of mental illness and suffered from this condition until her death. Nevertheless, she coped with her motherly duties with her numerous offspring and showed herself as a clever and far-sighted ruler when in January 1601, in the absence of her husband (who was in Reggio) the heavily pregnant Duchess took the position of Regent. During this time she stopped the attempts of the Podesta and Judge of Modena to deprive her of the government. However, Virginia was unable to control her unpredictable anger fits: when in March 1608 her confessor, the Jesuit Jerome Bondinari, claimed that she was possessed by the devil, the Duchess attacked him violently with shouts and nearly beat him to death with a stick. After this, exorcism sessions were held to cure her, during which it became clear that Virginia's having married against her will set off her mental illness and it worsened due to the infidelities of her husband. The attempts to expel the demons in her ultimately caused Virginia to become completely insane. She only recovered her sense on the day of her death; on her deathbed, she blessed all her children and died peacefully.
Virginia died on 15 January 1615 in Modena aged 46; there were rumors that her husband poisoned her. The memorial service took place on 27 February at Modena Cathedral and celebrated by the Jesuit Agostino Mascardi. She was buried in the crypt of the House of Este in the Church of St. Vincent in Modena.