Biography of Joanna of Austria
Joanna of Austria (German Johanna von Österreich, Italian Giovanna d'Austria) (24 January 1547 – 11 April 1578) was born an Archduchess of Austria as the youngest daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. By marriage she became the Grand Princess of Tuscany and later the Grand Duchess of Tuscany. One of her daughters was Maria de Medici, second wife of King Henry IV of France.
Joanna was born in Prague as the youngest of 15 children. She never knew her mother and eldest sister as her mother died 2 days after Joanna's birth and her sister Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of Poland, died two years before Joanna was born.
Her paternal grandparents were Philip I of Castile and Joanna of Castile. Her maternal grandparents were King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary, and Anna of Foix-Candale. Through her father Joanna was also a descendant of Isabella I of Castile and Mary of Burgundy.
Her marriage to Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, took place on 18 December 1565 in Florence after she solemnly arrived in the city by the Porta al Prato. Giorgio Vasari and Vincenzo Borghini, with the help of Giovanni Caccini, created grand festivities for this event. The festivities continued at the Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano.
Nevertheless, Joanna was homesick and unhappy. Ignored by her husband and despised by the Florentines for her Austrian hauteur, she never felt at home in Florence.
Her father-in-law, Cosimo I de' Medici, was reasonably kind to Joanna. He had the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio specially decorated for her; the lunettes were painted with murals of Austrian towns by pupils of Vasari, and Verrocchio's Putto with Dolphin fountain was brought down from the Careggi villa where it had been set up in the garden by Lorenzo de' Medici.
The position of Joanna in the Florentine court was difficult during most of her marriage: between 1566 and 1575, she gave birth to six daughters, of whom only three survived infancy. The absence of a male heir to continue the dynasty was the cause of constant conflict with her husband who preferred the company and love of his mistress, Bianca Cappello, who gave birth to a son, Antonio, in 1576.
Finally, in 1577 Joanna gave birth to the long-awaited heir, baptised Filippo in honor of King Philip II of Spain, Joanna's first cousin. The birth was celebrated with great joy by all the court because thus was secured the succession of the Grand Duchy for another generation. This eliminated all the hopes of Bianca Cappello that her son, Antonio, might become Francesco's heir. In the end, however, it was all for naught: Joanna's brother-in-law, Ferdinando, succeeded Francesco as Grand Duke.
On 10 April 1578, Joanna – heavily pregnant with her eighth child – fell down the stairs at Palazzo Vecchio, then the grand ducal Palace in Florence. Some hours later, she gave birth to a son, who, born prematurely, died immediately. She died the next day on 11 April.
The mysterious circumstances around her accident caused rumors implicating Francesco and Bianca. Nonetheless Francesco promptly married Bianca and made her grand duchess. However, modern medical investigation of her remains confirms the official reports of her death as caused by the birth of the son. The child presented arm first, and Joanna suffered a ruptured uterus. She suffered from scoliosis: her spine and pelvis were severely deformed. It is clear from the condition of her pelvis that her previous births had been difficult, and it seems remarkable that she had survived them.
Joanna was born in Prague as the youngest of 15 children. She never knew her mother and eldest sister as her mother died 2 days after Joanna's birth and her sister Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of Poland, died two years before Joanna was born.
Her paternal grandparents were Philip I of Castile and Joanna of Castile. Her maternal grandparents were King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary, and Anna of Foix-Candale. Through her father Joanna was also a descendant of Isabella I of Castile and Mary of Burgundy.
Her marriage to Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, took place on 18 December 1565 in Florence after she solemnly arrived in the city by the Porta al Prato. Giorgio Vasari and Vincenzo Borghini, with the help of Giovanni Caccini, created grand festivities for this event. The festivities continued at the Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano.
Nevertheless, Joanna was homesick and unhappy. Ignored by her husband and despised by the Florentines for her Austrian hauteur, she never felt at home in Florence.
Her father-in-law, Cosimo I de' Medici, was reasonably kind to Joanna. He had the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio specially decorated for her; the lunettes were painted with murals of Austrian towns by pupils of Vasari, and Verrocchio's Putto with Dolphin fountain was brought down from the Careggi villa where it had been set up in the garden by Lorenzo de' Medici.
The position of Joanna in the Florentine court was difficult during most of her marriage: between 1566 and 1575, she gave birth to six daughters, of whom only three survived infancy. The absence of a male heir to continue the dynasty was the cause of constant conflict with her husband who preferred the company and love of his mistress, Bianca Cappello, who gave birth to a son, Antonio, in 1576.
Finally, in 1577 Joanna gave birth to the long-awaited heir, baptised Filippo in honor of King Philip II of Spain, Joanna's first cousin. The birth was celebrated with great joy by all the court because thus was secured the succession of the Grand Duchy for another generation. This eliminated all the hopes of Bianca Cappello that her son, Antonio, might become Francesco's heir. In the end, however, it was all for naught: Joanna's brother-in-law, Ferdinando, succeeded Francesco as Grand Duke.
On 10 April 1578, Joanna – heavily pregnant with her eighth child – fell down the stairs at Palazzo Vecchio, then the grand ducal Palace in Florence. Some hours later, she gave birth to a son, who, born prematurely, died immediately. She died the next day on 11 April.
The mysterious circumstances around her accident caused rumors implicating Francesco and Bianca. Nonetheless Francesco promptly married Bianca and made her grand duchess. However, modern medical investigation of her remains confirms the official reports of her death as caused by the birth of the son. The child presented arm first, and Joanna suffered a ruptured uterus. She suffered from scoliosis: her spine and pelvis were severely deformed. It is clear from the condition of her pelvis that her previous births had been difficult, and it seems remarkable that she had survived them.