Livia della Rovere

The destiny of the Duchy of Urbino

Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, was married since 1570 with Lucrezia d'Este, the daughter of Ercole II, Duke of Ferrara. Their marriage was unhappy and childless not only because the large age difference between them but also due to Lucrezia's notorious love affairs. Separated in 1578 but without any possibility of annulment, she returned to Ferrara, where she died in 1598.

As an old widower, Francesco Maria II resigned himself to the extinction of his dynasty and the annexation of the Duchy of Urbino to the Papal States with a centralized administration. The situation of uncertainty concerned the subjects that under the Della Rovere family had experienced a golden age, because of the very low tax policy, in comparison with territories under direct ecclesiastical control, because the revenues collected were made mostly for military purposed firstly by the House of Montefeltro and later the Della Rovere family. Also with them the various towns, even small ones, were enriched with monuments and fortifications. Finally, the court of Urbino had become one of the most prestigious of Europe with absolute renowned artists who frequented it (Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Titian) thanks to the patronage of the ruling family. Was in this climate of fear for the fate of the Duchy that the councilors and the population invited the Duke to remarried, whom reluctanly agreed.

Marriage

After the death of her mother during the childbirth of her brother Giulio in 1598, Livia and her sisters were placed at the Santa Maddalena convent in Pesaro, from where she was removed after being chosen by her father to be the new bride of the Duke of Urbino, her second cousin (son of her grandfather's brother, Guidobaldo II della Rovere). After obtain the dispensation for affinity from Pope Clement VIII, the wedding between Livia and Francesco Maria II took place on 26 April 1599 in Casteldurante (now Urbania) in a rather modest ceremony.

From the beginning, the union was completely unhappy: while the 14-years-old bride resented the fact to be married with a man old enough to be her father, the 50-years-old groom contracted this marriage with the only purpose to save the Della Rovere family from the extinction and to preserve the independence of the Duchy of Urbino; in consequence, he never showed any tenderness or affection to Livia, who with time also become little attracted to her old husband. In addition, soon Francesco Maria II and his father-in-law Ippolito entered in conflict, and the latter was forced to leave the court; despite Livia's several attempts to recomposed their relationship, they remained estranged.

The disgrace of both her father Ippolito and uncle Cardinal Giuliano and the increased aversion that her husband had over them, isolated the Duchess, and with the death of her mother-in-law Vittoria Farnese (who was the one who convinced her son to marry Livia) on 13 December 1602 she lost her only support. Now at the complete mercy of her husband, she feared the worse; however, his attitude towards her changed when in November 1604 Livia found herself finally pregnant, with the notice officially announced to the court on January 1605.

The heir

On 16 May 1605 at the Ducal Palace of Pesaro, Livia gave birth a son, Federico Ubaldo della Rovere. The birth of a long-awaited male-heir repaired the relations between Livia and Francesco Maria II for a short while, but the aging Duke showed little interest in his son, leaving him under the affectionate care of his mother during some time; however, soon Francesco Maria II removed the infant from Livia's care send him to Florence to continue with his education, while she was virtually imprisoned in the Casteldurante Palace. Separated from her son, Livia wrote several letters to him: for example, in one of them dated 19 June 1616 she called herself as his "Most Loving Mother, who loves you as her own soul" (Amorevolissima madre, che vi ama quanto l'anima). The distance from both parents caused that Federico Ubaldo became in a troubled child and later in an arrogant and reckless teenager.

The marriage of Federico Ubaldo with Claudia de' Medici in 1621, marked not only the beginning of the binding of the Duchy of Urbino with the House of Medici but also the personal rule of Livia's son as Duke of Urbino following his father's abdication. The arrival of her daughter-in-law to court and the birth of her granddaughter, Vittoria della Rovere on 7 February 1622 was a source of great joy for the Duchess, who began to spend some time with his son and his family between Pesaro and Urbino. However, the serene new family life didn't last long: Francesco Maria II, put in suspicion by his advisors about Livia's behavior, ordered her to return with him and away from their child.

Towards the extinction of the Duchy of Urbino

Federico Ubaldo died suddenly on 29 June 1623, after an epileptic attack; with his death, the destiny of Livia and the Duchy of Urbino changed again, because the dynasty was again without a direct male-heir. The young Duke was buried at Urbino Cathedral. In October, Claudia and her daughter Vittoria moved to the Medici court, leaving Livia devastated by the loss of her beloved granddaughter and alone with her elderly and almost paralyzed husband, who after the death of their son took again the Ducal title.

Death of the Duke

Francesco Maria II died on 28 April 1631, leaving Livia as a 46-years-old completely isolated widow. The fate of the Duchy of Urbino was sealed and Pope Urban VIII gave the Dowager Duchess as modest compensation the government of Rocca Contrada (now Arcevia) and Corinaldo, to which were added later Gradara and San Lorenzo in Campo, the ancient domain of her father. Also she was separated from her brother Giulio della Rovere (who died in 1636) and was prevented from moved next to her granddaughter in Florence, despite her good relations with the Medici court and the repeated invitations to live there. The only exception was the wedding of Vittoria (heir to all of the allodial property of the Della Rovere family, which included art and funds of the Duchy) with Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1637.

Last years

Now totally away from all her affections, Livia retired to the paternal estate of Castelleone di Suasa in the palace built there by her father. Here she spent the last years of her life, dying on 6 July 1641 aged 55. She was buried in the Corpus Domini convent of Pesaro (where her sister and namesake Livia was Abbess), according to her will preserved in the parish archives documenteds of Castelleone:

Owner of the huge amount of artistic works and the wealth accumulated over the years by the Ducal family, she appointed her granddaughter Vittoria della Rovere as her sole heiress. Following this, most of the artistic heritage of the Della Rovere family was then removed from Urbino (for example, the double portrait of the Dukes of Urbino, Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza, of Piero della Francesca) and transferred to Florence to the collections of the Medici or to Rome in the Papal Palaces.