Giovanna d'Acquapendente was a 15th-century noblewoman from the Kingdom of Naples. She was known as 'la Colombina' and was the lover of Francesco I Sforza for the seventeen years between the death of his first wife Polissena Ruffo (1420) and his second marriage to Bianca Maria Visconti, daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti (1441).[1] Visconti took Francesco's illegitimate children under her wing after the marriage.
Giovanna lived at the castle in Fermo with her children until Francesco was made lord of the March of Ancona.[1] From then on she lived with her children in the castles at Abbiategrasso, Lodi, Melegnano, Pavia and Binasco, taking part in hunts, banquets and processions.[2]
Issue
She had five confirmed illegitimate children with Francesco, of whom three reached adulthood:
- Polissena, died in early infancy
- Polissena Sforza (1428–1449), married Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta
- Sforza (1430–1433)
- Sforza Secondo Sforza (1433–1492 or 1493), count of Borgonuovo, married Antonia del Verme;
- Drusiana Sforza (30 September 1437 - 29 June 1474), married Jacopo Piccinino.
Other sources [3] also attribute two more of Francesco's illegitimate children to her:
- Tristano (1422/24-1477), married Beatrice d'Este, illegitimate daughter of Niccolò III d'Este
- Isotta (1425-1485/87), married Andrea Matteo d'Acquaviva
References (in Italian)
- ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Laura Malinverni - scrittrice e poetessa - Il ramo di biancospino. Lucia Marliani, Caterina Sforza, Galeazzo Maria Sforza. Donne di potere del Rinascimento". Archived from the original on 2012-01-21. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ^ "Francesco Sforza". Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2018-03-08.