Description
Book SynopsisGenevra Sforza (ca. 1441-1507) lived her long life near the apex of Italian Renaissance society as wife of two successive de facto rulers of Bologna: Sante Bentivoglio then Giovanni II Bentivoglio. Placed there twice without a dowry by Duke Francesco Sforza as part of a larger Milanese plan, Genevra served the Bentivoglio by fulfilling the gendered role demanded of her by society, most notably by contributing eighteen children, accepting many illegitimates born to Giovanni II, and helping arrange their futures for the success of the family at large. Based on contemporary archival research conducted across Italy, this biography presents Genevra as the object of academic study for the first time. The book also explores how Genevra’s life-story, filled with a multitude of successes appropriate for an elite fifteenth-century female, has been transformed into a farraginous body of misogynistic legends claiming she destroyed the Bentivoglio and the city of Bologna.
Trade Review"Bernhardt’s fascinating and deeply researched study of Genevra Sforza, ‘first lady’ of fifteenth-century Bologna, rescues its subject from a centuries-old tradition of vilification and makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the gendered role of courtly women and the vital political role of marriage alliance in Renaissance Italian society.”
- Sarah Rubin Blanshei
"No woman navigated power more adroitly than Ginevra Sforza Bentivoglio. Bernhardt’s deeply-researched and finely-nuanced portrait shows how she took some very weak cards and played a very strong game. While others had formal titles, fawning courtiers, or family ties, GSB had keen instincts about power and survival. Her skills in managing both nearly created a Renaissance dynasty, and generated a lasting 'black legend' of Machiavellian intrigue that is ripped away in this study."
- Nicholas Terpstra
Table of ContentsIllustrations, Tables, Figures And Documents
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements & Dedication
Introduction
Chapter One - Genevra Sforza de’ Bentivoglio (ca. 1441–1507): Lost and Found in Renaissance Italy
Chapter Two - Twice Bentivoglio: Genevra Sforza On The Marriage Market (1446–1454 and 1463–1464)
Chapter Three - Genevra Sforza And Bentivoglio Family Strategies: Creating And Extending Kinship On A Massive Scale
Chapter Four - Genevra Sforza In Her Own Words: Patron And Client Relationships From Her Correspondence
Chapter Five - The Wheel Of Fortune: Genevra Sforza And The Fall Of The Bentivoglio (1506–1507)
Chapter Six - Making and Dispelling Fake History: Genevra Sforza And Her ‘Black Legends’ (1506–present)
Conclusions
