Christina Of Denmark Duchess Of Milan and Lorraine 1522-1590
New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1913. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xii, 562 pages. Footnotes. Illustrations. Appendix: A Selection of Unpublished Documents. Bibliography. Genealogical Tables. Index. Decorative front cover. Front board weak. Wear and tears on the cover. Cartwright Ady was a respected author and authority on art who wrote for leading art periodicals and published 23 books on art and history. Cartwright Ady highlighted the lives of women, including Christina of Denmark, the art-loving Danish expatriate. Julia Mary Cartwright Ady (7 November 1851 – 28 April 1924) was a British historian and art critic whose work focused on the Italian Renaissance. Cartwright Ady was born at Edgcote, Northamptonshire. She was home-schooled in art, literature, languages, dance and music. Cartwright Ady developed a fascination with art early on, particularly of the Italian Renaissance. Her cousin William Cornwallis Cartwright was an art collector and supporter of the Italian Risorgimento, and Cartwright Ady regularly visited his house at Aynhoe Park where she had her first exposure to works of the Old Masters. Her cousin's collection included paintings by Murillo, Canaletto, Spagnoletto and Albano. Cartwright Ady read widely from a young age, covering historical Italian texts, contemporary fiction and British art publications. She admired the poetry of Robert Browning and his collection Men and Women (1855) with its poems ‘Fra Filippo Lippi’ and ‘Andrea del Sarto’, inspired by Italian Renaissance painters, was influential. She was also an avid reader of John Ruskin, George Eliot and early Italian writing and poetry such as by Savonarola and Torquato Tasso. Christina of Denmark (November 1521 – 10 December 1590) was a Danish princess, the younger surviving daughter of King Christian II of Denmark and Norway and Isabella of Austria. By her two marriages, she became Duchess of Milan, then Duchess of Lorraine. She served as the regent of Lorraine from 1545 to 1552 during the minority of her son. She was also a claimant to the thrones of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in 1561–1590 and was sovereign Lady of Tortona in 1578–1584. On 23 September 1533 in Brussels, Christina was married by proxy to Francesco II Sforza, Duke of Milan, through his representative Count Massimiliano Stampa. On 3 May 1534, Christina made her official entry in Milan among great festivities, and on 4 May, the second wedding ceremony was celebrated in the hall of the Rocchetta. Christina's relationship with Francesco was reportedly good, and she was very popular in Milan, where she was regarded as a symbol of peace and hope for the future after decades of war, and her beauty was much admired. Christina received marriage proposals from King Henry of Navarre, Adolf of Holstein, the prince of Piedmont, and Albert of Brandenburg. The latter promised to recover the kingdom of her father for her. However, she refused to marry, and focused on negotiations with France to recover the custody of her son. She was present at the abdication of Emperor Charles V in Brussels in October 1555, followed by the ceremony when her aunt Mary of Hungary stepped down from the regency of the Netherlands. She visited England for the first time in April 1555, though not much information are recorded of this first visit. In February–May 1557, she and Margaret of Parma visited the court of Mary I of England. They were welcomed by Queen Mary with a grand banquet at Whitehall. Her son was Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, namesake of her uncle, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The current Belgian and Spanish royal families and the ruling family of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg descends from him, as do the former reigning families of Austria, Bavaria, Brazil, France, Naples, Parma, Portugal, Sardinia (Italy), and Saxony. Her daughter, Renata of Lorraine, married William V, Duke of Bavaria, and it is through her that the current Danish, Norwegian and Swedish royal families, and the former Greek royal, and Russian imperial families are descended. Condition: Fair.
Keywords: Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan, Duchess of Lorraine, Exile, Widow, Henry VIII, Anne of Cleves, William of Orange, Regent, Peace of Cateau-Cambresis, Tortona, Mary Queen of Scots
[Book #86734]
Price: $75.00