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The marriage of Isabella d'Este, one of the most famous figures of the Italian Renaissance, and Francesco Gonzaga, ruler of the small northern Italian principality of Mantua (r.1484-1519) offers a fascinating portrait of early modern political marriage - a relationship born from strategic alliance, but built on cooperation and mutual respect.
List of contents
- Introduction
- 1: Betrothal
- 2: Building a Spousal Relationship
- 3: The Crafting of Identity and the Division of Political Labour
- 4: Parallel Aspirations: First Fruits
- 5: Risk Taking and Risk Management
- 6: Parenthood and Politics
- 7: Years of Crisis
- 8: A Mind of her Own
- Conclusion
About the author
Carolyn James is Cassamarca Associate Professor in the School of Philosophical, Historical, and International Studies at Monash University, Australia. She has edited the letters of the fifteenth century Bolognese literary figure, Giovanni Sabadino degli Arienti and analysed his literary works. With Antonio Pagliaro, she translated the late-medieval letters of Margherita Datini. She has written on women's political and diplomatic roles in Renaissance Italy, as well as early modern women's relationship with letter-writing. She is presently engaged on a project focused on the Italian Wars 1494-1559, with Professor Susan Broomhall and Dr Lisa Mansfield.
Summary
The marriage of Isabella d'Este, one of the most famous figures of the Italian Renaissance, and Francesco Gonzaga, ruler of the small northern Italian principality of Mantua (r.1484-1519) offers a fascinating portrait of early modern political marriage - a relationship born from strategic alliance, but built on cooperation and mutual respect.
Additional text
at once deeply informed, perceptively analyzed, and convincingly argued in compelling prose ... [a] fascinating study
