Francesco Maria de'Medici
Francesco Maria was the second son of Ferdinando II de' Medici, and his wife, Vittoria della Rovere, born eighteen years after his brother, Cosimo. He was said to be the product of a reconciliation between his parents after their long separation, after his mother found Ferdinando in bed with one of his pages.
In 1683, Francesco Maria was appointed Governor of Siena, a position he held until his death. In 1686, he was created cardinal by Pope Innocent XI. He proved to be a significant member of the Curia, though he lived mainly at Villa di Lappeggi outside Florence. In his tenancy of the villa, Lappeggi was restored and became known as the seat of his personal court where various parties and much revelry took place.
At the death of his mother in March 1694, Francesco Maria succeeded to the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro, his mother's allodial possessions, though not to the Duchy of Urbina, which had become a papal possession. He acted as mentor to his nephew, the Ferdinando, Gran Principe, the heir to the Tuscan throne. When it became clear that the Gran Principe and his wife, Violante of Bavaria, were not going to produce an heir, Cosimo III looked towards his brother to solve the problem of the Tuscan succession. The question of an heir was further exacerbated when the union between Prince Gian Gastone, Cosimo III's second son, and his wife, Anna Maria of Saxe-Lauenburg, also remained barren.
In 1709, when his health had already deteriorated, Francesco Maria received the pope's permission to resign from the cardinalate so that he could marry Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga, daughter of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla, in an attempt to save the dynasty. Married by proxy on 16 June 1709, the couple were married in person on 14 July 1709.
Contemporaries agreed that Gonzaga was an attractive woman with beautiful skin, eyes, mouth, and waist. However, it was soon clear that the marriage was not to be a fruitful union. Gonzaga was repulsed by her husband, then 49, and she refused to fulfill her marital duties with a man twenty-six years her senior. Even the grand duke, Cosimo III, could not cajole her into submitting, as she allegedly feared contracting venereal diseases. Eventually she agreed to consumate their marriage, though no heirs were born.
Francesco Maria retired to Bagno a Ripoli where he died in 1711 from dropsy, leaving behind exorbitant debts. His wife outlived him, until her death in 1742. In the meantime, she had gone mad.
In 1683, Francesco Maria was appointed Governor of Siena, a position he held until his death. In 1686, he was created cardinal by Pope Innocent XI. He proved to be a significant member of the Curia, though he lived mainly at Villa di Lappeggi outside Florence. In his tenancy of the villa, Lappeggi was restored and became known as the seat of his personal court where various parties and much revelry took place.
At the death of his mother in March 1694, Francesco Maria succeeded to the Duchies of Rovere and Montefeltro, his mother's allodial possessions, though not to the Duchy of Urbina, which had become a papal possession. He acted as mentor to his nephew, the Ferdinando, Gran Principe, the heir to the Tuscan throne. When it became clear that the Gran Principe and his wife, Violante of Bavaria, were not going to produce an heir, Cosimo III looked towards his brother to solve the problem of the Tuscan succession. The question of an heir was further exacerbated when the union between Prince Gian Gastone, Cosimo III's second son, and his wife, Anna Maria of Saxe-Lauenburg, also remained barren.
In 1709, when his health had already deteriorated, Francesco Maria received the pope's permission to resign from the cardinalate so that he could marry Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga, daughter of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla, in an attempt to save the dynasty. Married by proxy on 16 June 1709, the couple were married in person on 14 July 1709.
Contemporaries agreed that Gonzaga was an attractive woman with beautiful skin, eyes, mouth, and waist. However, it was soon clear that the marriage was not to be a fruitful union. Gonzaga was repulsed by her husband, then 49, and she refused to fulfill her marital duties with a man twenty-six years her senior. Even the grand duke, Cosimo III, could not cajole her into submitting, as she allegedly feared contracting venereal diseases. Eventually she agreed to consumate their marriage, though no heirs were born.
Francesco Maria retired to Bagno a Ripoli where he died in 1711 from dropsy, leaving behind exorbitant debts. His wife outlived him, until her death in 1742. In the meantime, she had gone mad.