Margherita Gonzaga, Marquise of Ferrara

Margherita Gonzaga
Marquise of Ferrara
Margherita in the Genealogia dei principi d'Este (1470s)
Born1418 (1418)
Mantua
Died7 July 1439(1439-07-07) (aged 20–21)
Governolo
BuriedMantua
Noble familyGonzaga
SpouseLeonello d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara
IssueNiccolò d'Este (Niccolò di Leonello)
FatherGianfrancesco I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua
MotherPaola Malatesta

Margherita Gonzaga, Marquise of Ferrara (1418–1439) was a noblewoman of the House of Gonzaga, from Mantua in modern-day Italy. She was the daughter of Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua[1] and Paola Malatesta.[2] In 1435, she became the first wife of Leonello d'Este, Marquess of Ferrara,[3][4] making her the Marquise of Ferrara and creating an alliance between the House of Gonzaga of Mantua and the House of Este of Ferrara.[5] The artist Pisanello gave them a painting of Julius Caesar as a wedding gift.[3] The couple had a son, Niccolò, who is also known as Niccolò di Leonello to avoid confusion with his grandfather, Niccolò III d'Este.[6]

References

  1. ^ Iain Fenlon, ed. (1989). The Renaissance: From the 1470s to the end of the 16th century. London: MacMillan. p. 135.
  2. ^ Anne Commire; Deborah Klezmer (1999). Women in World History. Yorkin Publications. p. 365.
  3. ^ a b Francis Ames-Lewis (2000). The Intellectual Life of the Early Renaissance Artist. New London: Yale University Press. p. 78.
  4. ^ "Leonello d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara and Modena". The British Museum.
  5. ^ Cordelia Warr; Janis Elliott, eds. (2010). Art and Architecture in Naples, 1266 - 1713: New Approaches. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. p. 8.
  6. ^ Kurt Barstow (2000). The Gualenghi-d'Este Hours. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. p. 27.