Beatrice d'Este (29 June 1475 - 3 January 1497) was a noblewoman from Ferrara, duchess of Bari and Milan by her marriage to Ludovico Sforza (known as "Ludovico il Moro"). She was known as a woman of culture, an important patron of arts and science and a leader in fashion: alongside her husband, she made Milan one of the greatest capitals of the European Renaissance. With her determination and bellicose nature, she led the Milanese resistance against the French during the first of the Italian Wars. Her interventions repelled the Duke of Orléans who was on the verge of conquering Milan.
Life
Childhood
Birth and childhood in Naples (1477–1485) She was born on 29 June 1475 in the Castello Estense in Ferrara as the second child of Ercole I d'Este and Eleanor of Aragon. As his father did not yet have a male heir, Beatrice's birth was a disappointment to her family and the court. At the age of two, her mother took Beatrice and her elder sister Isabella to the Neapolitan court to attend the wedding of Eleanor's father, Ferdinand I, King of Naples and his second wife, Joanna of Aragon. They first travelled to Pisa, from where they sailed in a galley, arriving in Naples on 1 June 1477. On 19 September, Eleonora gave birth to her third child, Ferrante. When, less than a month later, she had to return to Ferrara, she decided to take only Isabella back. King Ferdinand convinced her to leave both Beatrice and Ferrante in Naples; he had shown great love for his granddaughter from the time of their first meeting.
Beatrice lived in Naples for eight years in the care of a nurse called Serena and her cultured and virtuous aunt, Ippolita Maria Sforza. She lived alternately in the residence of her aunt and uncle, Castel Capuano, with her younger brother and three cousins, Ferrandino, Pietro, and Isabella, and the royal residence of Castel Nuovo with her grandparents. Ferrante considered her the "same" his daughter, the Infanta Giovannella. In 1479, the Este ambassador wrote to Beatrice's mother that the King was willing to return her son but not Beatrice, because he "wants to give her in marriage and keep her for himself". Formally adopted by her grandfather, she signed her name as "donna Beatrice de Aragonia" and spoke a mixture of Catalan, Castilian, and Italian, a habit that she seems not to have preserved as an adult.Maria Serena Mazzi, Come rose d'inverno, le signore della corte estense nel '400, Nuovecarte, 2004, pp. 44–51.
Marriage proposals In 1480 Ludovico "il Moro" Sforza, Duke of Bari, regent of Milan, began negotiations with Ercole d'Este for the hand of his eldest daughter Isabella, but she had already been betrothed to Francesco Gonzaga. Ercole did not want to give up on a relationship with one of the richest and most influential men in Italy and proposed Beatrice instead. With the consent of King Ferdinand, the idea was immediately accepted. The alliance proved very useful to the Duchy of Ferrara, constantly threatened by Venetian expansionism.
In 1484, her maternal aunt, Beatrice of Aragon, Queen of Hungary, proposed an exchange in which Isabella d'Este would marry King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary (Beatrice of Aragon's alleged loved), Beatrice d'Este would marry Francesco Gonzaga, and Ludovico Sforza would marry another Neapolitan noblewoman. Eleanor replied that this was impossible, both because Isabella was loved by Gonzaga and because Beatrice was in her grandfather's power. She offered to secretly negotiate with their father to secretly betrothe Beatrice to Vladislaus, guaranteeing her a husband in case Ludovico sought a wife "more in keeping with his age".Enrica Guerra, Il carteggio tra Beatrice d'Aragona e gli Estensi (1476–1508), Aracne, 2010, pp. 41–43. In 1485, Marquis Boniface III, Marquis of Monferrat, a childless widower over sixty hinted at marrying Beatrice; the proposal was probably not followed, both because of the age difference of 51 and because Montferrat needed a wife of childbearing age.Moro! Moro! storie del Ducato Sforzesco, Guido Lopez, Camunia, 1992, p. 108.
Adolescence in Ferrara (1485–1490)
In 1485, Ludovico persuaded Beatrice's parents to take her back to Ferrara, so that her education could be better suited to her future role (the Milanese had a very low opinion of Neapolitans). Ercole and Eleanor told the King of Naples that they want to be able to visit their daughter more easily (which they never did). King Ferdinand refused, saying that he considered Beatrice his daughter, and that, at only ten, she was not ready for the wedding. Moreover, if Ludovico died early, Ferdinand claimed that Beatrice's father would not be able to find her another good husband. He even offered to provide her dowry to convince the parents to leave Beatrice in Naples.Corrispondenza degli ambasciatori fiorentini a Napoli: Giovanni Lanfredini (13 aprile 1484-9 maggio 1485), Francesco Senatore, 2002, p. 149. Despite his strong resistance, he had to reluctantly agree to let her go.; "Si capisce che il nonno Ferdinando, di sentimenti affettuosi verso i suoi più di quanto non lasci supporre l'indole sua, quale ci è dipinta dagli storici, non aveva voluto separarsi dalla nipotina; ma, cominciate nel Napoletano quelle sedizioni dei baroni che dettero luogo ad una vera guerra civile, Eleonora d'Aragona volle avere presso di sé anche quella sua figlioletta." (). Immediately after the departure of his granddaughter, he wrote to his daughter Eleonora: "God knows how much we grieved, for the singular love we had for her virtues [...] that seeing her and having her at home it seemed to us that we had you".
Given the prestige of the bridegroom, the parents tried to move the wedding forward to 1488, but Ludovico explained to Ercole that he was too busy with affairs of the state and that the bride was still too young. The date was set for May 1490 and a dowry of 40,000 ducats was arranged. However, Ludovico then postponed the wedding to the summer, then cancelled again. The ducal couple of Ferrara now doubted his commitment to marry Beatrice. Ludovcio's reluctance was attributed to his well-known relationship with Cecilia Gallerani. To apologize for the postponements, in August 1490 he gifted his bride a splendid necklace.
First years in Milan (1491–1497) A double wedding between Beatrice and Ludovico and her sister Isabella and Franscesco Gonzaga was planned for January 1491, but Ludovico postponed again. Finally, around a year later, a double Sforza-Este wedding was held: Ludovico wed Beatrice and her brother, Alfonso married Anna Sforza, Ludovico's niece. Leonardo da Vinci organised the wedding celebrations. In Milan, Beatrice met two people who would become important in her life: Bianca Giovanna Sforza, her husband's nine-year-old illegitimate daughter, and her husband, Galeazzo Sanseverino. Beatrice immediately loved Bianca and wanted her company on every occasion.
Officially, the marriage was immediately declared consummated. However, Ludovico, out of respect for Beatrice's "innocence", waited for over a month for her willingness, not wanting to force her. Beatrice's parents urged the couple to consummate their marriage, which could otherwise be annulled. Ludovico tried to seduce his wife with caresses, kisses, and rich daily gifts.Daniela Pizzagalli, La dama con l'ermellino, vita e passioni di Cecilia Gallerani nella Milano di Ludovico il Moro, Rizzoli, 1999, pp. 119–120. Nevertheless, Beatrice remained "in superlative ashamed" even in mid-February. Ludovico complained to the Este ambassador, Giacomo Trotti, that he had to "vent" with his mistress Cecilia. The ambassador reproached Beatrice and told her to put "so much shame on the other side", by saying that "men want to be well seen and caressed, as is just and honest, by their wives". This did not have any success; nor did the continuous pressure exerted by the father. The more forcefully others insisted, the more Beatrice resisted her husband's advances. The situation was finally resolved spontaneously in March or April.Maria Serena Mazzi, Come rose d'inverno, le signore della corte estense nel '400, Nuovecarte, 2004, pp- 59–62. According to Trotti, now Ludovico declared that he no longer thought of Cecilia but only of Beatrice, "to whom he wants all his good, and takes great pleasure from her for her customs and good manners", praising her because "she was delighted by nature ... and very pleasant and nevertheless modest"..
Birth of first son After a carefree first year spent of entertainments, Beatrice became pregnant. On 20 January 1493, Eleanor of Aragon arrived in Milan to assist Beatrice during childbirth, bringing Comare Frasina, the midwife of the Este family. Two days later, the celebratory gifts of the Milanese nobility were exhibited in the Sala del Tesoro in the Rocchetta building of the Sforza Castle on tables covered with crimson gold velvet. Among these were "two beautiful diamonds" worth 18,000 ducats and a golden cradle from Beatrice's father. On 23 January, Beatrice gave birth to her first-born son, christened Ercole after his maternal grandfather but later called Maximilian in honour of the Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor..
From then on, Beatrice's primary concern became ensuring her son's succession to the Duchy of Milan, which legitimately belonged to the son of her cousin Isabella. She persuaded her husband to appoint Maximilian count of Pavia, title of the heir to the duchy. Isabella, understanding the intentions of the spouses, wrote to her father Alfonso a heartfelt request for help. King Ferrante, however, had no intention of starting a war; on the contrary, he declared that he loved both granddaughters in the same way and invited them to prudence so that the situation remained stable while the king was alive.
Diplomatic mission to Venice
In May 1493, Ludovico sent his wife as his ambassador to Venice to obtain support for his legitimacy as duke of Milan. Beatrice was to use her charm and intelligence and the pomp of her court to impress the Venetians. The couple first passed through Ferrara, where they were greeted festively by Beatrice's parents. Isabella d'Este, who did not to be compared unfavourably to her sister, went to Venice before their arrival. On 25 May, Beatrice left for Venice with her mother Eleanor, her brother Alfonso with his wife Anna, various secretaries and advisers, and a retinue of more than 1 200 people. They sailed first along the Po, then on a dangerously rough sea. Many of the company were afraid, but not Beatrice, who enjoyed mocking the others.
On the morning of 27 May, the fleet reached Malamocco, where they were welcomed by a delegation of patricians. Beatrice then landed on Isola di San Clemente, where the doge waited for her. They boarded the Bucentaur together, headed for the Grand Canal. During the journey, a play was performed on a barge about the dispute between Minerva and Neptune that led to the foundation of Athens. Beatrice and her family stayed at the Fondaco dei Turchi, owned by the Estes. She was invited to a meeting of the Great Council and to a ceremonious breakfast at the Doge's Palace. She also visited the Arsenal, Murano, St Mark's Basilica and the treasury.
In one of her letters to her husband, Beatrice relayed that while walking through Piazza San Marco, a man's eye lingered too impolitely long on her neckline, with the excuse of admiring her ruby necklace; she responded, "I had a necklace of pearls and a ruby on my chest [...] and there were those who put their eyes almost up to my chest to look at him and I saw so much anxiety I told him we had to come home, since I would have gladly shown it ".