Bona Sforza

Bona Sforza
Coronation	on April 18, 1518 in the Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland
Coat of Arms
Parents	Gian Galeazzo Sforza Isabella of Naples
Consort	Sigismund I of Poland
Date of Birth	February 2, 1494
Place of Birth	Vigevano, Italy
Date of Death	November 19, 1557
Place of Death	Bari, Italy
Place of Burial	Basilica di San Nicola, Bari

Bona Sforza d'Aragona (February 2, 1494 - November 19, 1557) was a member of the House of Sforza who in 1518 became the second wife of Sigismund I of Poland. When her mother died in 1524, Bona succeeded to the titles Duchess of Bari and Princess of Rossano. She also became the holder of the Brienne claim to the title of King of Jerusalem.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Children 3 Ancestors 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 External links

Biography

Bona was born in Vigevano, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan and niece of Bianca Maria Sforza, who in 1493 had married Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. She was named after her grandmother, Bona of Savoy. Bona, niece of the empress, was a patron of Renaissance culture, which thanks to her, began to further flourish in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She is also considered to have influenced the Polish and Lithuanian cuisines, having introduced many new dishes to the Commonwealth. Upon her husband's death, she sided with many in Catholic Poland in opposing her son King Sigismund II Augustus's marriage to the Lithuanian Calvinist, Barbara Radziwiłł, and was suspected, without evidence, of having poisoned the new queen, who died shortly after her coronation.

In 1556, she returned to Bari, Italy. There she was poisoned by her private secretary Gian Lorenzo Pappacoda. Pappacoda was acting on behalf of Philip II of Spain, who wished to avoid repaying his sizable debts to the Polish queen. She was succeeded by her three children. Her only surviving son, Sigismund August Jagellon became the king of Poland. After her brother's death Anna the Jagiellonian, in the second election for the king of Poland she was elected 'king' of Poland, and ruled as a queen of Poland with her elected husband king Stephen Bathory. The title of King of Jerusalem passed to the youngest daughter Catherine Jagellonica, Queen of Sweden who passed it on to her son, also elected King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland.

Children

Bona and Sigismund I of Poland had six children:

• Isabella (18 January 1519 - 15 September 1559), was a Queen of Hungary, wife of John Zápolya,
• Sigismund Augustus (1 August 1520 - 7 July 1572), was a King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania,
• Sophia (13 July 1522 - 28 May 1575), was a Duchess of of Brunswick-Lüneburg, wife of Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg,
• Anna (18 October 1523 - 9 September 1596), elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, wife of Stefan Batory,
• Catherine (1 November 1526 - 16 September 1583), was a Queen of Sweden and Grand Duchess of Finland, wife of John III of Sweden,
• Wojciech Olbracht, born and died 20 September 1527.

Ancestors

Francesco I Sforza

Galeazzo Maria Sforza

Bianca Maria Visconti

Gian Galeazzo Sforza

Ludovico I of Savoy

Bona of Savoy

Anne de Lusignan

Bona Sforza

Ferdinand I of Naples

Alfonso II of Naples

Isabella of Taranto

Isabella of Naples

Francesco I Sforza

Ippolita Maria Sforza

Bianca Maria Visconti

Gallery

Bona Sforza in her youth

Queen Bona as a widow

Queen Bona's gardens at the Wawel Castle

Castle in Bari, where she died in 1557

See also

• List of Polish rulers
• Polish cuisine
• Wojna kokosza

External links

• Mona Lisa and her Family
• Bona Sforza at worldroots.com

Bona Sforza House of Sforza Born: 2 February 1494 Died: 19 November 1557
Royal titles
Preceded by Barbara Zápolya	Queen of Poland 1518-1557	Succeeded by Elisabeth of Austria