Virginio Orsini, Duke of Bracciano
| Virginio Orsini | |
|---|---|
 Virginio Orsini by unknown Florentine painter | |
| Duke of Bracciano | |
| Reign | 1585–1615 |
| Predecessor | Paolo Giordano I Orsini |
| Successor | Paolo Giordano II Orsini |
| Born | 11 September 1572 |
| Died | 9 September 1615 (aged 42) Rome |
| Spouse | |
| Issue Among others | Paolo Giordano II Orsini Alessandro Orsini Maria Felicia Orsini |
| House | Orsini |
| Father | Paolo Giordano I Orsini |
| Mother | Isabella de' Medici |
Virginio Orsini (11 September 1572[1] – 9 September 1615) was the second Duke of Bracciano, member of the Orsini family and knight of the order of the Golden Fleece.
He was the son of Paolo Giordano I Orsini and Isabella de' Medici, and inherited his father's titles and fiefs after his death in 1585. In 1589 he married Flavia Peretti, a niece of Pope Sixtus V, by whom he had 12 children.[2] His son Paolo Giordano became a prince of the Holy Roman Empire through his marriage with Isabella Appiani, princess of Piombino.
Virginio Orsini was a supporter of the Earl of Essex and visited the English court for the Christmas revels in December 1600.[3] He was entertained by Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and the play opens with the character of Duke Orsino saying the famous line "If music be the food of love, play on."[4] Queen Elizabeth danced a galliard for him to show the "vigour of her old age".[5][6]
He died in Rome in 1615.
Issue[edit]
By his wife, Flavia Damasceni Peretti, he had twelve children, eight sons and four daughters:[7]
- Paolo Giordano II (1591 – 24 May 1656). Duke after his father. He married Isabella Appiani, Ruler Princess of Piombino, and became a Prince of Holy Roman Empire.
- Alessandro (1592 – 22 August 1626). Cardinal.
- Isabella (1597–1623). She married Cesare II Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla.
- Maria Felicia (12 November 1600 – 5 June 1666). She married Henri II, Duke of Montmorency.
- Camilla (29 July 1603 – ?). She married Marcantonio II Borghese, Prince of Sulmona. After widowed, she became a nun.
- Ferdinando (? – 4 March 1660). Duke after his brother.
- Cosimo. Military.
- Virginio. Discalced Carmelite.
- Francesco. Jesuit.
- Carlo. Died young.
- Raimondo. Died young.
- Stillborn daughter (14 September 1606). Her mother died in childbirth.
References[edit]
- ^ "MEDICI, Isabella de' - Treccani". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ Eleanor Herman: Murder in the Garden of God: A True Story of Renaissance Ambition, Betrayal, and Revenge. Createspace. ISBN 9781492183013. p. 407
- ^ Elizabeth McClure Thomson, The Chamberlain Letters (London, 1966), pp. 29–30.
- ^ The First Night of Twelfth Night by Leslie Hotson, p. 15. 1954: HMC 3rd Report: Duke of Northumberland (London, 1872), p. 51b.
- ^ John S. Brewer, The Court of King James the First by Godfrey Goodman, vol. 1 (London, 1839), pp. 17–8.
- ^ Sarah Williams, Letters of John Chamberlain (London, 1861), p. 99
- ^ "PERETTI DAMASCENI, Flavia in "Dizionario Biografico"". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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