Duke Philibert I of Savoy
Who was the spouse of Bianca Maria Sforza before Jul 1480?
Bianca Maria Sforza Bianca Maria Sforza ( 5 April 1472 – 31 December 1510 ) was the queen of Germany and empress of the Holy Roman Empire as the third spouse of Maximilian I . She was the eldest legitimate daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan by his second wife , Bona of Savoy . Early life . Bianca was born in Pavia as the eldest daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan , by his second wife , Bona of Savoy . She was named after her paternal grandmother , Bianca Maria Visconti . When Bianca was not yet five years old , her father was assassinated inside the Church of Santo Stefano in Milan on 26 December 1476 , which was the Feast Day of St . Stephen . He was stabbed to death by three high-ranking officials of the Milanese court . On 6 January 1474 the 21-month-old Bianca married her first cousin Duke Philibert I of Savoy , the son of her uncle Amadeus IX of Savoy , and Yolande of France . Duke Philibert I died in the spring of 1482 , leaving Bianca a widow at the age of ten . She returned to Milan , under the tutelage of her uncle Ludovico Il Moro , who cared little about her education and allowed her to indulge her own interests , mainly needlework . On 31 July 1485 , the engagement between Bianca and John Corvinus , the only ( though illegitimate ) son of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary , was formally announced . With this marriage , the Hungarian ruler wanted to secure his sons future inheritance of Hungary and Bohemia and to make him Duke of Austria . The marriage by proxy was signed on 25 November 1487 , and according to the terms of the contract , Bianca received several Hungarian counties . However , due to the opposition and intrigues of Queen Beatrix , wife of King Matthias , the formal marriage never took place . In March 1492 a marriage between Bianca and King James IV of Scotland was considered , but the idea was soon abandoned . Queen and empress . On 16 March 1494 in Hall , Tyrol , Bianca married her second husband , the widowed King Maximilian I of Germany . Biancas second marriage was arranged by her uncle , who wanted recognition and the title of duke confirmed by Maximilian ; in exchange , Maximilian received a large dowry along with Bianca , 400,000 ducats . Her magnificent retinue on her way to her wedding aroused much attention . At her wedding , Bianca wore a bodice with eighty pieces of the jewelers art pinned thereon , with each piece consisting of one ruby and four pearls . Maximilians claim to overlordship of Milan angered Anne of France , regent for her brother King Charles VIII of France , and brought about French intervention in Italy , thus inaugurating the lengthy Italian Wars . The union was unhappy : shortly after the consummation of the marriage , Maximilian complained that Bianca may have been more beautiful than his first wife , Duchess Mary of Burgundy , but was not as wise . It was impossible for the young bride to win the affection of her husband , who considered her too uneducated , talkative , naive , wasteful with money , and careless . He did wish to have children with her , but all their attempts failed : despite Biancas several pregnancies , none produced a living child . She very much liked her stepchildren Philip the Handsome and Margaret , but was criticized for forgetting her dignity when she sat on the floor with them to play . After 1500 , Maximilian lost all interest in Bianca . She lived with her own court of Milanese people in various castles in Tyrol . On several occasions he left her behind as security when he could not pay for his rooms on trips . Maximilian took the title of emperor-elect of the Holy Roman Empire in 1508 , making Bianca empress . Empress Bianca died at Innsbruck on 31 December 1510 . She was buried at Stams . Her husband did not attend her funeral or even dedicate a gravestone to her . References and literature . - Hellmut Andics : Die Frauen der Habsburger. . J&V , Wien , 1985 - Hermann Wiesflecker : Maximilian I. , Wien/München 1991 , and - Thea Leitner : Habsburgs Goldene Bräute . Piper , 2005 - Sigrid-Maria Größing : Maximilian I . – Kaiser–Künstler–Kämpfer . Amalthea , Wien 2002 External links . - Bianca Maria Sforza at the aeiou Encyclopedia - Portrait of Bianca Maria Sforza at the National Gallery