A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Gonzaga, Eleonora

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4120490A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography — Gonzaga, Eleonora

GONZAGA, ELEONORA,

Daughter of Francis the Second, Marquis of Mantua, was united, when very young, to the Duke of Urbino. She was celebrated for her devotion to her husband, who was deposed by Pope Leo the Tenth, in favour of Lorenzo de Medicis. The duke would have sunk under this misfortune, but for the strength of mind and tenderness of his wife. On the death of Lorenzo in 1492, the dukedom was restored to its rightftd owner. Two sons and three daughters were the fruit of this union. Eleonora, by the chastity and severity of her manners, reformed the morals of her court.