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Dorotea GonzagaDorotea Gonzaga (6 December 1449 – 20 April 1467) was a Duchess Consort of Milan. She was the daughter of Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua and Barbara of Brandenburg.[1] In 1466, Dorotea married Galeazzo Maria Sforza,[2] but she died in 1467.[2] Her husband was remarried to Bona of Savoy.[2] LifeHer maternal grandparents were John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, and Barbara of Saxe-Wittenberg. Dorotea`s mother Barbara was considered one of the most well-educated women in Renaissance Italy. Dorotea therefore grew up in a milieu where scholarly pursuits and arts and culture were highly valued. Not much is known about Dorotea`s education but its highly probable that considering her own mother`s education that it was a thorough one, and that it mirrored that of her younger sister Barbara who was taught to read and write Italian and German and also the classic languages Latin and Greek as well as history and literature. Dorotea`s father had for a long time been eager to make a marriage alliance with the powerful Sforzas of Milan. Dorotea was engaged to Galeazzo after it was revealed that the originally intended bride; her older sister Susanna was hunchbacked. It was then decided to replacing the name of Susanna in the marriage contracts with that of Dorotea. Though it was noted that Dorotea`s shoulders were uneven it was not deemed such a great defect as to stop the marriage negotations. Dorotea`s father would however not allow his daughter to be inspected naked for any deformity as demanded by the Milanese envoys. It was rumored that she, similarly to her older sister had a spinal deformity. Eventually a compromise was reached with Dorotea performing in front of the Milanese ambassadors wearing only a thin gown.[3] But Galeazzo Marias father Francesco I Sforza no longer interested in an alliance with Mantua wanted to break the betrothal in order to instead secure a French royal match for his son. Galeazzo Maria was however adamant that he wanted to marry Dorotea. After communication between the Gonzagas and the Sforzas broke down, despite the best efforts of both Galeazzo Maria and his mother Bianca Visconti the betrothal was called off. It was not until after the death of Galeazzo Marias father in 1466 that he was able to renew his suit for Dorotea. But as the marriage contract were being drawn up, Dorotea became ill with a fever and died just days before the wedding on the 20 April 1467. This sparked rumors that Galeazzo Maria had poisoned her to get rid of his obligations to marry her. References
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