Semiramide Appiano of Aragon (1464 – 9 March 1523) was an Italian noblewoman, daughter of the Lord of Piombino Jacopo III Appiano and wife of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici. She was the niece of the famous Simonetta Vespucci, Botticelli's muse and Giuliano de' Medici's beloved.[1]
Semiramide Appiano | |
|---|---|
 Antonio Selvi's incision of Semiramide, 1739 | |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Born | Semiramide di Appiano di Aragona 1464 Republic of Florence |
| Died | 9 March 1523 (aged 58–59) Republic of Florence |
| Noble family | Appiano-Aragona (birth) Medici (marriage) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Issue | Pierfrancesco de' Medici Averardo de' Medici Laudomia de' Medici Ginevra de' Medici Vincenzo de' Medici |
| Father | Jacopo III Appiano, Prince of Piombino |
| Mother | Battistina Fregoso |
Biography edit
Semiramide Appiani was born in Florence in 1464. She was the daughter of Jacopo III Appiano, Lord of Piombino and relative of the Aragonas of Naples (his mother was Colia de' Giudici, natural daughter of Alfonso V of Aragon), and of Battistina Fregoso,[2][3] daughter of Genoa doge Battista Fregoso, sister of doge Pietro Fregoso and maternal half-sister of the famous Simonetta Vespucci, known for her beauty and alleged lover of Giuliano de' Medici.[1]
In 1478 Lorenzo de' Medici, Giuliano's older brother and Lord of Florence, arranged a betrothal between Giuliano and Semiramide, but the marriage was never held due to Giuliano's death on 26 April 1478 during the Pazzi conspiracy. As a result, in 1482, Semiramide was given instead in marriage to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, a cousin of Lorenzo and his protégé. Five children were born from the marriage.[2][4]
Semiramide died in Florence on 9 March 1523 at fifty-eight age.[2]
Issue edit
By her husband, Semiramide had three sons and two daughters:[4][5]
- Pierfrancesco de' Medici (1487-1525), known as Pierfrancesco II the Younger.[6] He married Maria Soderini and had two sons and two daughters.
- Averardo de' Medici (1488-1494). Died in infancy.
- Laudomia de' Medici. In 1502 she married Francesco Salviati.
- Ginevra de' Medici. She married Giovanni degli Albizzi and had four sons: Luca (1511-1555, married Laudomia Pitti), Lorenzo (1512-1560), Benedetto (1514-1546, poet) and Francesco (1516-1588, valet of Pope Paul III and canon of the Florence Cathedral from 1541).
- Vincenzo de' Medici.
References edit
- ^ a b Jiminez, Jill Berk (2013-10-15). Dictionary of Artists' Models. Routledge. p. 547. ISBN 978-1-135-95914-2.
- ^ a b c Dennis Geronimus, Piero di Cosimo: Vision beautiful and strange, Yale University Press
- ^ Mazzatinti, Giuseppe (1887). Inventario dei manoscritti italiani delle biblioteche di Francia ...: Appendice all'inventario dei manoscritti italiani della Biblioteca nazionale di Parigi. La biblioteca di S. Giustina di Padova. 1887 (in Italian). Presso i principali librai.
- ^ a b "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ Litta, Pompeo (1781-1851) Auteur du texte. Famiglie celebri di Italia. Medici di Firenze / P. Litta.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ To distinguish him by his grandfather Pierfrancesco de' Medici