The Key to Everything

At first Juana’s birth was kept secret and even Cardinal didn’t dare to send words to King Felipe (Juan’s half-brother) fearing he’d get furious. It was in fact custom for male illegitimate members of the Spanish House of Absburg to take up an ecclesiastical career and not really father any more illegitimate offspring, much less behind the back of the sovereign. Juan had already tested the waters when, in 1568, he fathered María Ana, fruit of a liason between him and María de Mendoza, lady-in-waiting of Juana of Portugal. Baby  María Ana was brought up by the Princess of Eboli and later took her vows (solving thus the inconvenience of her illegitimate birth). Juana’s case was different since she was born outside of Spain, far from the King’s control and an easy and appealing pawn for her mother’s family who could make use of the child’s status as member (despite her or her father’s illegitimate status) of the Spanish royal family. Unlike many Spanish royal bastards (like her father for example), Juana’s mother was a noblewoman, and this made her an even more valuable pawn in the marriage market. In order to protect the child, Don Juan and Cardinal de Grenville sought to get Juana away from Naples.

The newborn was immediately taken from her mother, whom it’s unsure she had chances to meet again (Diana would marry a Pompeo Piccolomini and give birth to a son, prematurely dead in 1577, not long after his father. Now a widow, Diana chose to enter once again a nunnery and nothing was heard about from her again). Her father sent her to L’Aquila, to be brought up by his half-sister, Margherita of Parma, Governor of Abruzzo and Dowager Duchess of Parma. 25 years older than her half-brother, Margherita was more like a mother to Juan, especially since he was of the same age of her own child, Alessandro (who would grow extremely close to his half-uncle). The former Duchess of Parma had in the past volunteered to raise any eventual illegitimate children fathered by her brother and Juan must have took her at her word when, at the beginning of 1573, he sent her a letter to tell her of Diana’s pregnancy and asked Margherita to be a mother of both the father and child («madre de padre y hijo»). Given her high status, Giovanna was most probably destined for a prestigious wedding and her aunt (another royal bastard) must have raised her with this exact goal. Like her great-aunt (and namesake) Margarita of Austria and aunt María Dowager Queen of Hungary, Margherita of Parma didn’t just share the role of Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, but also a penchant of raising younger relatives. Hence Giovanna grew up with Margherita and Odoardo Farnese, her cousins once removed, and with the latter Giovanna corresponded throughout her life.

In 1575 Don Juan stopped in L’Aquila, on his way to the Spanish Netherlands and it would be in this occasion he would meet for the first and last time his daughter. The meeting had been arranged together with Margherita and it was meant to happen in secrecy in the Duchess’ chamber (although pretty much everyone in Margherita’s service knew of little Giovanna’s origins). At first he didn’t exhibit much interest towards her as it is showed in a letter sent to his sister where he writes he actually didn’t have much good to say about the child since niceties were meant for the mothers and not for the children. He kind of excuses himself writing that it was certainly due to “his nature”, a reflection of their “blood” (“No digo a V. A. nada de su sobrina, porque regalos no los tengo sino para madres y no para hijos, como creo lo a conocido ya V. A. de mi condition, que cierto se parece nuestra sangre.... ” from a letter wrote in Naples on January 24th 1576). Later on he somehow mellows towards the child and commissions his sister a portrait of three years old Giovanna (“si acaso se hallare V.Alta con algun relrato suyo, que le pudiese traer este hombre, mas parecido que el pasado, la suplico me le imbie, y sino que le haga sacar y imbiarmele con el primero, que todavía confieso que en la vida que paso me seria de mayor entretenimiento el retrato, que me fué ella misma en presencia de V. Alt. Y así no seré acusado de padre tan desamorado como entonces....”). Also, when it looked like Margherita would be asked once again to act as Governor of the Flanders, he asked her to bring Giovanna with her if it didn’t inconvenience her or at least to find the child a good place to stay. Don Juan died in 1578, forgetting to mention his daughter in his will and, once again, leaving everything to Margherita and Cardinal de Granvell. As the Felipe II (the child’s half-uncle) refused their proposal to have Giovanna to be brought up at the Spanish court, with the approval of Pope Gregory XIII, the child was sent to be brought up in the nunnery of St. Chiara in Naples where she received a good education and where she started to display a quick wit and intelligence. In 1590 Giovanna wrote to her cousin Alessandro Farnese to intercede with the King to have her move to another house in Naples as her doctor had advised her. She was then moved to Villa Pizzo Falcone, where she could enjoy a luxurious life but was forbidden to leave it (a literal golden cage).

Meanwhile, in 1598 Philip III succeeded his late father as King and, among the many titles and territories, he inherited his half-cousin’s guardianship. In 1602 Giovanna sent the new King a letter where she described her life in Naples far from happy, especially since she had no intention to take the veil or live a secluded life. She stresses how she up until now she had lived at the mercy of the various Viceroys, depending on them in every way, and her life had been a succession of good and bad moments, all at the whims of these men (“"Veome, sola, pobre, huérfana y desamparada, y necesitada de estar sujeta a cada virrey que viene, que cada uno me trata como quiere, quien bien, quien mal, y que tengo que comer y vestir de sus manos.”). Certain that the King doesn’t know about her troubles, far from him and in foreign land as she is, Giovanna pleads him to take pity on her.

As his father had merely instructed the Viceroys to simply look after (from afar) Giovanna, Philip III started to ponder how to deal with her especially since someone with a name such as Giovanna d’Austria deserved a proper accomodation.

At frst Philip thought of marrying her to Francesco Maria II Della Rovere Duke of Urbino, almost 40 years older than her and recently widow of his first wife Lucrezia d’Este (Lucrezia Borgia’s granddaughter). When this marriage couldn’t take place, Philip proceeded marry his cousin to Sicilian nobleman Francesco Branciforte Barresi son of Fabrizio Branciforte Prince of Pietraperzia and Butera and of Donna Caterina Barresi Branciforte, titular Marchioness of Militello in Val di Catania.

Francesco was born in 1575 (so he was actually younger than his future wife) and had spent his childhood at the Spanish court since his grandmother Dorotea Barresi e Santapau had married for a third time Juan de Zúñiga y Requesens Viceroy of Naples and had later be appointed as Governess to the House of Infante Philip (later King Philip III).

Giovanna arrived in Palermo during the summer of 1603 (Caruso writes June 20th while Di Blasi reports it was July 20th). As a member of the Royal family, Giovanna had been welcomed by the Viceroy the Duke of Feria who helped her on the carriage she rode together with her soon to be mother-in-law Donna Caterina Barresi. The future bride wore a white dress enriched with pearls and precious stones and on her head a black velvet cap covered her braids also adorned with pearls. That same evening the wedding between the Princess and her Sicilian groom was celebrated in the Royal Palace, precisely in the lavish Gallery (also known as Hall of Rams), a chamber used by the Viceroy to host receptions for the most distinguished families of the Island.

The couple didn’t start living together right away. Giovanna spent a couple more months in the Royal Palace before finally moving with her husband on October 17th. The following year, on May 8th 1604, Giovanna and Francesco traveled to Militello where they took up residence.

The royal bride’s dowry was princely: 60000 scudi, silverware, jewels and an annual income of 3000 scudi. On his part, Prince Fabrizio bestowed titles and lands on his son and only kept for himself an annuity of 10000 scudi per year and the power to dispose of his future daughter in law’s dowry to pay off the family’s debts. The marriage between Giovanna and Francesco was actually part of the plan of salvaging the Branciforte’s finances whose unstable situation was a source of friction between the future groom and his estranged father. The marriage with the Spanish King’s half-cousin also provided Francesco of the necessary support to counter his father’s demands.

It seems like it was an happy union, blessed by the birth of three daughters: Margherita (born on January 11th 1605), Flavia (born on June 3rd 1606) and Caterina (born on May 4th 1609). Sadly, both Flavia and Caterina died in their childood, with Flavia being merely 2 years old while Caterina died at 4 years old, making the oldest Margherita the couple’s only heir.

In the meantime, on October 19th 1605 Donna Caterina Barresi Branciforte had died making Francesco the new Marquis of Militello. In Militello the couple established a refined court, inviting many intellectual and artists. The town was also embellished with new buildings and works aimed at improving the living conditions of the population.

In 1617 resumed the feud between the Prince of Pietraperzia and his son the Marquis of Militello. The dispute was settled only in 1621, when Prince Fabrizio was basically forced to give up all the family possessions to his son in exchange of the revoking of his debarment.

On February 1622 Francesco traveled all the way to Messina to welcome the new Viceroy, Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia (son of Giovanna’s half-cousin, Infanta Catalina Micaela of Spain, Duchess consort of Savoy). While in Messina, he fell gravely ill. Feeling the end approaching, he officially named his daughter Margherita as his heir. Francesco died on February 23rd, he was 43 years old. The body was brought back to Militello, where the funeral was held on April 1st. In 1996 his body was exhumed to be analysed. The results stated that almost certainly he died of poison as there were traces of arsenic trioxide.

Taking advantage of his son’s death, the old Prince Fabrizio tried to deprive his granddaughter of her rights and possessions, contesting the will and naming his secondborn son Giovanni as his heir, defacto passing over Margherita. Luckily King Felipe IV stepped to help Margherita and her mother Giovanna getting back what was theirs by right and reinstating Margherita as the rightful heir. The family possessions and titles were then returned to Margherita, although they actually didn’t amount to much, merely 2800 onze per year, indeed a small sum and not enough to cover most of the family expenses. Luckily for the heiress, it was her mother’s smart management of her own personal resources that provided them of the necessary assets to live a life as befitting of their rank. Giovanna had also fiercely fought to protect her child from her father-in-law’s greed, filing a cause to undo the control Prince Fabrizio still had on her dowry as originally stated in the prenuptial agreements.

Like it had happened with her mother before, Margherita’s future was of great interest for the Royal Family. Originally she was intended to marry one of Emperor Rudolf II’s illegitimate sons, Matthias of Austria, who unfortunately died in 1626. While he was alive, Don Francesco had wished to preserve the family name and have his daughter and only heir to marry another Branciforte, but quickly gave up as the intended future groom, his nephew Gabriele (son of Giovanni), was mute. Another possible candidate, Don Antonio Branciforte, from the Cammarata branch and future first Prince of Scordia, was dismissed by both the girl’s parents possibly because they started having doubts about the dangers of consanguinity. Now a widow, Giovanna had to deal by herself with her family of origin’s ingerence concerning his daughter’s future.

The fourth candidate was Don Federico Colonna, son of Don Filippo Colonna Gran Conestabile at the court of Naples. At this point Elisabeth of Bourbon, the Spanish Queen Consort, stepped in by suggesting a double union: Margherita was to marry Don Federico while Giovanna was to marry his freshly widowed father, Don Filippo. Giovanna’s refusal caused mother and daughter to be deprived of their servants, forcibly moved to Messina and basically locked up in a building guarded by Spanish soldiers who wouldn’t let anyone leave or enter it.

Familiar meddling didn’t stop there as Giovanna’s step-sister, the powerful Abbess of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas Maria Ana of Austria pressed for the union between her step-niece with Colonna, while King Felipe V thought Margherita’s best suitor was Antonio Branciforte.

In the meantime the interested party, Donna Margherita, rejected both the proposal, stating that “I will cut my hair, I will become a nun and ask the King in which nunnery I will take my vows”. Ultimately, Margherita married Federico Colonna on October 13th 1624.

The pair will live between Palermo, their numerous fiefs (especially Militello), Rome, Sorrento and Naples. In this city the dowager Princess Donna Giovanna would die on February 8th 1630. She had spent her latest year living a pious life almost monklike. In her will she arranged to be buried dressed as a Franciscan tertiary and, in case she died far from home, in Naples or Rome, she had elected as burial place Santa Maria della Vittoria, a Church she herself had rebuilt, next to the Theatin convent. Nowadays there are no traces of Giovanna’s tomb in the Church.

Margherita and Federico Colonna’s only child, Antonio, would die in 1633. So without a direct heir to follow, all titles and possessions would eventually pass on to Don Giuseppe Branciforte Branciforte (younger brother of that Gabriele who had been ruled out as the Princess’s possible husband) at the death of his cousin Margherita in 1659.

 Sources

- Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique. Bulletins d l'Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique

- Deputazione Toscana di Storia Patria, Archivio Storico Italiano, 1842

- BAZZANO NICOLETTA, PIETRAPERZIA BRANCIFORTE BARRESI Francesco, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 83;

- BENZONI GINO, COLONNA, Federico in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 27 (1982)

- DÍAZ CONCHA, GIOVANNA DE AUSTRIA RETRATADA POR SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA

Flórez Enrique, Memorias de las reynas catholicas: historia genealogica de la Casa Real de Castilla y de Leon, todos los infantes, trages de las reynas en estampas y nuevo aspecto de la Historia de España..., Volumen 2

- MAURO IDA – MANFRE’ VALERIA, “En tierra ajena, lexos de mi Rey” Giovana d’Austria, entre la corte de Felipe III y la de los Virreyes de Nápoles y Sicilia” in Apariencia y razón. Las artes y la arquitectura en el reinado de Felipe III;

- RICCI VITTORIO, Giovanna e Margherita. Principesse di Casa d’Austria tra Napoli e la Sicilia, pp. 161-198;

- SATTA FIAMMA, FALANGOLA Diana, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 44;