Cappello, Bianca

Cappello, Bianca byängˈkä cäpĕlˈlō [key], 1548–87, grand duchess of Tuscany (1579–87). Of a noble Venetian family, she eloped (1563) with a Florentine, Pietro Bonaventuri, who was later killed (1569). She was the mistress, then (1579) the wife of Francesco de' Medici. After a banquet the grand duke and his duchess died suddenly, but rumors that they had been poisoned were never substantiated.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Italian History: Biographies