Isabella, Countess of Vertus

Contents

Isabella of France (1 October 1348 – 11 September 1372) was a French princess and member of the House of Valois, as well as the wife of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, who after her death became Duke of Milan.

Life

Born in Bois de Vincennes, Isabella was the youngest daughter of King John II of France[1] by his first wife, Bonne of Bohemia.[2]

Count Amadeus VI of Savoy arranged her marriage with his nephew Gian Galeazzo Visconti. As her dowry, Isabella received the county of Sommières, exchanged later for the county of Vertus.[3] On 8 October 1360, Isabella and Gian Galeazzo were married in Milan, and six months later, in April 1361, she was declared sovereign Countess of Vertus.[4] Following her marriage, Isabella brought her collection of French books to Milan.[5] When her daughter, Valentina, traveled to France for her marriage, she brought twelve books of Italian origin.[5] The couple had four children:

  • Gian Galeazzo, born 1366[6]
  • Azzone, 1368–1380[6]
  • Valentina (b. Pavia, 1371 – d. Château de Blois, Loir-et-Cher, 14 December 1408), married on 17 August 1389 to Louis I, Duke of Orléans[4]
  • Carlo, born 1372.[6]

Only Valentina lived to adulthood;[6] Isabella died giving birth to Carlo in Pavia in 1372[2][4] and was buried in the church of San Francesco.[7]

References

  1. 1.Ward, Prothero & Leathes 1934, p. table 22.
  2. 2.[2.2]Adams 2010, p. 255.
  3. 3.Hay 1977, p. 107.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3]D'Ancona 1990, p. 112.
  5. 5.[5.2]Bell 1988, p. 176.
  6. 6.[6.2][6.3][6.4]Andrea Gamberini (2000). Gian Galeazzo Visconti, duca di Milano (in Italian). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, volume 54. Roma: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed May 2020.
  7. 7.Majocchi, Piero (January 2015). "Non iam capitanei, sed reges nominarentur: progetti regi e rivendicazioni politiche nei rituali funerari dei Visconti (XIV secolo)". Courts and Courtly Cultures in Early Modern Italy and Europe Models and Languages. Retrieved 2 August 2022.