What was Bona Sforza queen of?
Bona Sforza was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania from 1518 to 1548, as the second wife of Sigismund the Old. She was also Duchess of Bari and Rossano in her own right.
Questions about Bona Sforza
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was Bona Sforza born and when did she die?
Bona Sforza was born on the 2nd of February 1494 in Vigevano, in the Duchy of Milan. She died on the 19th of November 1557 in Bari, at the age of 63.
How did Bona Sforza die?
Bona Sforza fell ill with a stomach ache on the 8th of November 1557 and died in the early morning of the 19th of November. She is suspected to have been poisoned by trusted members of her own household.
Who did Bona Sforza marry?
Bona Sforza married Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland, in a proxy ceremony held in Naples on the 6th of December 1517. The couple met in person for the first time near Kraków on the 15th of April 1518.
What reforms did Bona Sforza introduce in Lithuania?
Bona Sforza introduced the Wallach Reform, a sweeping set of agricultural and taxation changes in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including standardized peasant duties and land measurement. She pursued these and other economic reforms during the Chicken War to raise state revenue.
What happened to the loan Bona Sforza made to Spain?
In 1556, Bona Sforza lent Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba and viceroy of Naples, 430,000 ducats at 10 percent annual interest, secured against customs duties in Foggia. The Habsburgs never fully repaid the debt, and her descendants became beneficiaries of the unpaid claim known as the Neapolitan sums.
Who were Bona Sforza's children?
Bona Sforza had six children with Sigismund the Old: Isabella, who married John Zápolya, King of Hungary; Sigismund II Augustus, who succeeded his father as king; Sophia, who married Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; Anna, who eventually became Queen of Poland in her own right; Catherine, who married John III of Sweden; and Albertus, who was born prematurely and died the same day in 1527.