Medici, Lucrezia de (c. 1544–1561)

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Medici, Lucrezia de (c. 1544–1561)

Duchess of Ferrara . Born around 1544; died in 1561; daughter of Cosimo I de Medici (1519–1574), grand duke of Tuscany, and Eleonora de Medici (1522–1562); first wife of Alfonso II (1533–1597), 5th duke of Ferrara and Modena (r. 1559–1597). Alfonso II's second wife was Margherita Gonzaga (1564–1618).

In 1561, Lucrezia de Medici, newly married to Alfonso II, the duke of Ferrara, died in Ferrara at age 17. In later years, in light of the propensity for skullduggery at the time, it was rumored that she was poisoned by her husband because of infidelity. The story's origins have now been attributed to enemies of the house of Ferrara.

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Medici, Lucrezia de (c. 1544–1561)

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