Bona Sforza Totally Explained

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 Isabella of Naples 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.

Biography

Bona was born in Vigevano, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan and Isabella of Naples.She was also the 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' 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 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

Gallery

Image:Bona Sforza young.jpg|Bona Sforza in her youth Image:Bona Sforza.jpg|Queen Bona as a widow Image:Ogrody Królewskie Wawel 2006-06-20 01.jpg|Queen Bona's gardens at the Wawel Castle Image:Castello di Bari.jpg|Castle in Bari, where she died in 1557 Further Information

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