Italian Greens from Italian Queens: Difference between revisions

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One of the wealthiest Italian city-states was the Duchy of Milan, which had been ruled for over a century by the forceful Sforza family, originally descended from common mercenary soldiers. When Bona was born, it was her father, Gian Galeazzo Sforza, who was the Duke of Milan, although real power was held by his uncle, Ludovico Sforza. Bona’s mother, Isabella d’Aragona, fiercely competed with Ludovico’s wife, Beatrice d’Este, over whose children would inherit power in Milan. Since Isabella had the backing of her father, the King of Naples, Ludovico and Beatrice allied themselves with the King of France – who himself laid claim to the Neapolitan throne. Bona was only seven months old when French troops entered Italy, launching the so-called Italian Wars, which the Valois would mostly wage across a patchwork of Italian statelets with ever-shifting alliances and which would go on for decades until two years after Bona’s death.

Meanwhile, Isabella was forced to flee from Milan to the Kingdom of Naples, where her daughter Bona would be raised and come of age. Thanks to Isabella’s wide network of family ties, both she and Bona could still ~~count on support from~~ some powerful allies. Isabella’s brother-in-law was none other than Emperor Maximilian I Habsburg, who – true to the matrimonial politics of his dynasty – personally arranged Bona’s marriage to King Sigismund I of Poland. Sigismund was more than twice Bona’s age, though it would only be much later that he would come to be known as Sigismund the Old. The wedding took place on 6 December 1517, in Naples, where the not-so-young groom was represented, as was customary, by a proxy.

Meanwhile, Isabella was forced to flee from Milan to the Kingdom of Naples, where her daughter Bona would be raised and come of age. Thanks to Isabella’s wide network of family ties, both she and Bona could still rely upon some powerful allies. Isabella’s brother-in-law was none other than Emperor Maximilian I Habsburg, who – true to the matrimonial politics of his dynasty – personally arranged Bona’s marriage to King Sigismund I of Poland. Sigismund was more than twice Bona’s age, though it would only be much later that he would come to be known as Sigismund the Old. The wedding took place on 6 December 1517, in Naples, where the not-so-young groom was represented, as was customary, by a proxy.

The wedding banquet’s menu has survived and gives us some sense of the cuisine Bona may have been accustomed to. The cosmopolitan bill of fare reflected Bona’s Neapolitan and Spanish ties, but the aesthetic of the feast – with its abundance of colourful cakes and jellies, and sweet-and-sour sauces based on liberal amounts of vinegar and sugar – was still far more medieval than modern.

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* Capons in pastry

* White pies, followed by molded meat jellies

* Rabbits in their own sauce, guanti [Neapolitan festive crown-shaped ~~pastry~~ with sweet filling]

* Rabbits in their own sauce, guanti [Neapolitan festive crown-shaped pastries with sweet filling]

* Partridges with lemons, quince jelly

* Purple pies

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</ref><br>*) There is some debate as to what kind of soup is meant here. Perhaps it's a ``golden soup" with slices of bread fried in beaten egg. }}

It wasn't until the spring of the following year that Bona arrived in Cracow to take up residence at Wawel Castle, whose lengthy renovation in the fashionable Renaissance style – carried out by architects and craftsmen specially ~~brought~~ from Italy – was just nearing completion.

It wasn't until the spring of the following year that Bona arrived in Cracow to take up residence at the Royal Wawel Castle, whose lengthy renovation in the fashionable Renaissance style – carried out by architects and craftsmen brought specially from Italy – was just nearing completion.

[[File:Wesele Bony Sforzy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|Dishes from Bona's wedding feast [https://www.cardonews.it/2022/06/05/al-banchetto-della-regina-bona-sforza/ as reconstructed in 2022 by middle-and-high-school students in Bari]]]

Royal envoys had already reported to Sigismund from Naples that his new bride was distinguished not only by her beauty, charm and dancing skills but also by her education and eloquence, to the extent that “in conversation, learning and speech, she was not as one would expect of her sex, but truly astonishing,” and that “she spoke nothing that lacked a certain refinement, whether in metaphor or in the most ornate expression.”<ref>M. Bogucka, ''op. cit.'', p. 58</ref> In Cracow, to the considerable alarm of the Polish nobility – and likely the king himself – it turned out that the beautiful and deeply décolleté Bona also had a head for politics and a knack for business. A royal consort who didn't stop at producing heirs, but also interfered in matters of state, caused far more astonishment in conservative Poland than in Italy, where she'd been actually taught that she was born to rule over men. Bona even managed to secure the unprecedented and unconstitutional coronation of her only son, Sigismund Augustus, as king at the age of nine – while his father was still alive – in what was, supposedly, an elective monarchy.

Royal envoys had already reported to Sigismund from Naples that his new bride was distinguished not only by her beauty, charm and dancing skills but also by her education and eloquence, to the extent that “in conversation, learning and speech, she was not as one would expect of her sex, but truly astonishing,” and that “she spoke nothing that lacked a certain refinement, whether in metaphor or in the most ornate expression.”<ref>M. Bogucka, ''op. cit.'', p. 58</ref> In Cracow, to the considerable alarm of the Polish nobility – and likely the king himself – it turned out that the beautiful and deeply décolleté Bona also had a head for politics and a knack for business. A royal consort who didn't stop at producing heirs, but also interfered in matters of state, caused far more astonishment in conservative Poland than in Italy, where she'd been actually taught that she was born to rule over men. Bona even managed to secure the unprecedented and unconstitutional coronation of her only son, Sigismund Augustus, as king at the age of nine – while his father was still alive and well – in what was, supposedly, an elective monarchy.

In time, ~~this~~ contributed to the emergence of Bona’s black legend, according to which the queen was “good” only in name, but in reality was pathologically ambitious, greedy, prone to Machiavellian machinations, financial malfeasance and – as befitted a Renaissance Italian – to the use of poison as a tool of statecraft. She was suspected of having poisoned her first two daughters-in-law (Elisabeth Habsburg and Barbara Radziwiłł), as well as the last two dukes of Masovia (Stanislav and John III). It was in Masovia – swiftly annexed by Poland – where Bona, estranged from her son, lived for eight years before eventually returning to Italy. There, the Polish queen dowager was herself poisoned – probably on the orders of King Philip II of Spain, who owed her too much money to leave her alive.

All this, in time, contributed to the emergence of Bona’s black legend, according to which the queen was “good” only in name, but in reality was pathologically ambitious, greedy, prone to Machiavellian machinations, financial malfeasance and – as befitted a Renaissance Italian – to the use of poison as a tool of statecraft. She was suspected of having poisoned her first two daughters-in-law (Elisabeth Habsburg and Barbara Radziwiłł), as well as the last two dukes of Masovia (Stanislav and John III). It was in Masovia – swiftly annexed by Poland – where Bona, estranged from her son, lived for eight years before eventually returning to Italy. There, the Polish queen dowager was herself poisoned – probably on the orders of King Philip II of Spain, who owed her too much money to leave her alive.

Right then – but what about those vegetables? We’ll come to that in a moment. But first let’s take a closer look at another famous queen ~~from Italy~~ whose life followed a path quite similar to Bona’s.

Right then – but what about those vegetables? We’ll come to that in a moment. But first let’s take a closer look at another famous Italian-born queen whose life followed a path quite similar to Bona’s.

== Catherine of Florence ==

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 One of the wealthiest Italian city-states was the Duchy of Milan, which had been ruled for over a century by the forceful Sforza family, originally descended from common mercenary soldiers. When Bona was born, it was her father, Gian Galeazzo Sforza, who was the Duke of Milan, although real power was held by his uncle, Ludovico Sforza. Bona’s mother, Isabella d’Aragona, fiercely competed with Ludovico’s wife, Beatrice d’Este, over whose children would inherit power in Milan. Since Isabella had the backing of her father, the King of Naples, Ludovico and Beatrice allied themselves with the King of France – who himself laid claim to the Neapolitan throne. Bona was only seven months old when French troops entered Italy, launching the so-called Italian Wars, which the Valois would mostly wage across a patchwork of Italian statelets with ever-shifting alliances and which would go on for decades until two years after Bona’s death.
-Meanwhile, Isabella was forced to flee from Milan to the Kingdom of Naples, where her daughter Bona would be raised and come of age. Thanks to Isabella’s wide network of family ties, both she and Bona could still count on support from some powerful allies. Isabella’s brother-in-law was none other than Emperor Maximilian I Habsburg, who – true to the matrimonial politics of his dynasty – personally arranged Bona’s marriage to King Sigismund&nbsp;I of Poland. Sigismund was more than twice Bona’s age, though it would only be much later that he would come to be known as Sigismund the Old. The wedding took place on 6 December 1517, in Naples, where the not-so-young groom was represented, as was customary, by a proxy.
+Meanwhile, Isabella was forced to flee from Milan to the Kingdom of Naples, where her daughter Bona would be raised and come of age. Thanks to Isabella’s wide network of family ties, both she and Bona could still rely upon some powerful allies. Isabella’s brother-in-law was none other than Emperor Maximilian I Habsburg, who – true to the matrimonial politics of his dynasty – personally arranged Bona’s marriage to King Sigismund&nbsp;I of Poland. Sigismund was more than twice Bona’s age, though it would only be much later that he would come to be known as Sigismund the Old. The wedding took place on 6 December 1517, in Naples, where the not-so-young groom was represented, as was customary, by a proxy.
 The wedding banquet’s menu has survived and gives us some sense of the cuisine Bona may have been accustomed to. The cosmopolitan bill of fare reflected Bona’s Neapolitan and Spanish ties, but the aesthetic of the feast – with its abundance of colourful cakes and jellies, and sweet-and-sour sauces based on liberal amounts of vinegar and sugar – was still far more medieval than modern.
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 * Capons in pastry
 * White pies, followed by molded meat jellies
-* Rabbits in their own sauce, guanti [Neapolitan festive crown-shaped pastry with sweet filling]
+* Rabbits in their own sauce, guanti [Neapolitan festive crown-shaped pastries with sweet filling]
 * Partridges with lemons, quince jelly
 * Purple pies
@@ Line 128: / Line 128: @@
 </ref><br>*) There is some debate as to what kind of soup is meant here. Perhaps it's a ``golden soup" with slices of bread fried in beaten egg. }}
-It wasn't until the spring of the following year that Bona arrived in Cracow to take up residence at Wawel Castle, whose lengthy renovation in the fashionable Renaissance style – carried out by architects and craftsmen specially brought from Italy – was just nearing completion.
+It wasn't until the spring of the following year that Bona arrived in Cracow to take up residence at the Royal Wawel Castle, whose lengthy renovation in the fashionable Renaissance style – carried out by architects and craftsmen brought specially from Italy – was just nearing completion.
 [[File:Wesele Bony Sforzy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|Dishes from Bona's wedding feast [https://www.cardonews.it/2022/06/05/al-banchetto-della-regina-bona-sforza/ as reconstructed in 2022 by middle-and-high-school students in Bari]]]
-Royal envoys had already reported to Sigismund from Naples that his new bride was distinguished not only by her beauty, charm and dancing skills but also by her education and eloquence, to the extent that “in conversation, learning and speech, she was not as one would expect of her sex, but truly astonishing,” and that “she spoke nothing that lacked a certain refinement, whether in metaphor or in the most ornate expression.”<ref>M. Bogucka, ''op. cit.'', p. 58</ref> In Cracow, to the considerable alarm of the Polish nobility – and likely the king himself – it turned out that the beautiful and deeply décolleté Bona also had a head for politics and a knack for business. A royal consort who didn't stop at producing heirs, but also interfered in matters of state, caused far more astonishment in conservative Poland than in Italy, where she'd been actually taught that she was born to rule over men. Bona even managed to secure the unprecedented and unconstitutional coronation of her only son, Sigismund Augustus, as king at the age of nine – while his father was still alive – in what was, supposedly, an elective monarchy.
+Royal envoys had already reported to Sigismund from Naples that his new bride was distinguished not only by her beauty, charm and dancing skills but also by her education and eloquence, to the extent that “in conversation, learning and speech, she was not as one would expect of her sex, but truly astonishing,” and that “she spoke nothing that lacked a certain refinement, whether in metaphor or in the most ornate expression.”<ref>M. Bogucka, ''op. cit.'', p. 58</ref> In Cracow, to the considerable alarm of the Polish nobility – and likely the king himself – it turned out that the beautiful and deeply décolleté Bona also had a head for politics and a knack for business. A royal consort who didn't stop at producing heirs, but also interfered in matters of state, caused far more astonishment in conservative Poland than in Italy, where she'd been actually taught that she was born to rule over men. Bona even managed to secure the unprecedented and unconstitutional coronation of her only son, Sigismund Augustus, as king at the age of nine – while his father was still alive and well – in what was, supposedly, an elective monarchy.
-In time, this contributed to the emergence of Bona’s black legend, according to which the queen was “good” only in name, but in reality was pathologically ambitious, greedy, prone to Machiavellian machinations, financial malfeasance and – as befitted a Renaissance Italian – to the use of poison as a tool of statecraft. She was suspected of having poisoned her first two daughters-in-law (Elisabeth Habsburg and Barbara Radziwiłł), as well as the last two dukes of Masovia (Stanislav and John III). It was in Masovia – swiftly annexed by Poland – where Bona, estranged from her son, lived for eight years before eventually returning to Italy. There, the Polish queen dowager was herself poisoned – probably on the orders of King Philip II of Spain, who owed her too much money to leave her alive.
+All this, in time, contributed to the emergence of Bona’s black legend, according to which the queen was “good” only in name, but in reality was pathologically ambitious, greedy, prone to Machiavellian machinations, financial malfeasance and – as befitted a Renaissance Italian – to the use of poison as a tool of statecraft. She was suspected of having poisoned her first two daughters-in-law (Elisabeth Habsburg and Barbara Radziwiłł), as well as the last two dukes of Masovia (Stanislav and John III). It was in Masovia – swiftly annexed by Poland – where Bona, estranged from her son, lived for eight years before eventually returning to Italy. There, the Polish queen dowager was herself poisoned – probably on the orders of King Philip II of Spain, who owed her too much money to leave her alive.
-Right then – but what about those vegetables? We’ll come to that in a moment. But first let’s take a closer look at another famous queen from Italy whose life followed a path quite similar to Bona’s.
+Right then – but what about those vegetables? We’ll come to that in a moment. But first let’s take a closer look at another famous Italian-born queen whose life followed a path quite similar to Bona’s.
 == Catherine of Florence ==