Beatrice Regina della Scala (1331 – 18 June 1384) was Lady of Milan by marriage to
Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan, and politically active as the adviser of her spouse.[1]
On 27 September 1350, in Verona, Beatrice Regina was married to Bernabò Visconti, son of
Stefano Visconti and Valentina
Doria.[2] She was nineteen years of age and he was twenty-seven. The marriage welded a powerful political alliance between Milan and Verona. He assumed power as Lord of Milan in 1354, henceforth, Beatrice Regina was styled as Lady of Milan.
It has been claimed that Bernabò was a cruel and ruthless despot, and an implacable enemy of the
Church. He seized the papal city of
Bologna, rejected the Pope and his authority, confiscated ecclesiastical property, and forbade any of his subjects to have any dealings with the
Curia. He was excommunicated as a
heretic in 1363 by
Pope Urban V, who preached
crusade against him.[3] When Bernabò was in one of his frequent rages, only Beatrice Regina was able to approach him.[4] She reportedly had a strong will, and her influence upon Bernabò - and thereby upon the policy of Milan - was recognized:
Catherine of Siena used her as an intermediary every time she had a political request to Bernabò.[1]
Beatrice Regina died on 18 June 1384 at the age of fifty-three years. She was buried in Milan. A year and a half later, her husband was deposed and later poisoned by his nephew and son-in-law
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, who in 1395 became the first Duke of Milan.
Legacy
She gave her name to the church of
Santa Maria alla Scala in Milan, and by extension, the
La Scala opera house (Teatro alla Scala) which was built on the same site four hundred years later.
Issue
Together Bernabò and Beatrice Regina had at least between 15[5] and 17[4] documented children:
Valentina Visconti (ca. 1357 – bef. September 1393), married in September 1378 King
Peter II of Cyprus,[6] by whom she had one daughter who died in early infancy.
Lodovico Visconti (1358 – 7 March 1404), Governor and Lord of Parma during 1364–1404 and Governor of Lodi during 1379–1385; married in November 1381
Violante Visconti,[6] widow of
Lionel of Antwerp and
Secondotto, Marquess of Montferrat. They had a son, Giovanni, who possibly left descendants: the family Milano-Visconti, Reichsfreiherren at Utrecht claim descent from him.
Carlo Visconti (September 1359 – August 1403), Lord Cremona, Borgo San Donnino and Parma in 1379; married Beatrice of Armagnac,[6] daughter of
John II, Count of Armagnac and Jeanne de Périgord, by whom he had four children.
Agnese Visconti (1362 – 7 February 1391), married 26 September 1380
Francesco I Gonzaga,[6] by whom she had one daughter. Agnes was executed for alleged adultery.
Rodolfo Visconti (ca. 1364 – January 1389),[6] Lord of Bergamo, Soncino and Ghiara d'Adda in 1379. Unmarried.
Mastino Visconti (March 1371 – 19 June 1405),[6] Lord of Bergamo, Valcamonica and Ghiaradadda in 1405; married in 1385 to Cleofa della Scala, by whom he had three children.
^Mauro Colombo, Gian Luca Lapini, Matteo Sormani Turconi, Guido Maria Ratti.
"I Visconti — Storia di Milano". www.storiadimilano.it (in Italian). Retrieved 10 September 2020.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)