12

come. It seems that Bianca administered the money shrewdly and made her new
home the centre of her activities as a patron, in which she organised musical and
theatrical shows. Bianca surrounded herself with artists, architects and musicians,
 thus showing, unlike Joanna of Austria, an interest in the arts that matched
that of Francesco, thus reinforcing the bond with her lover. She was dedicated
poems and books by poets and writers, among whom Torquato Tasso and Francesco
 Sansovino stand out.

10

Once she had convinced her father and brother, Bianca devoted herself to
reinforcing her position, offering support in protecting the interests of her cousins
 in Florence in exchange for the help she had received. The subjects of the
letters often also had to be kept secret from Francesco de Medici, who was at the
time still her

lover.11

The relationship with the grand duke continued regardless,
arousing continuous discord - which his father Cosimo always tried to appease -
between Francesco and the unhappy Giovanna, who was engrossed in producing
an heir. Giovanna died during her eighth pregnancy, and, three months later, in
June 1578, Bianca and Francesco were married in secret. Bianca, endowed with
a pragmatic and pliant nature, built up a genuine career first as lover and then as
consort of the grand duke, employing her talents as a

negotiator.12

In the same
year, her position in court having been confirmed, Bianca bought a sumptuous
palazzo behind St Mark’s

Square13

which she gave to her family, thus preparing
the way for her next move.

In that year Francesco sent Mario Sforza to Venice as ambassador to take
the news of his marriage to Bianca and at the same time negotiate her reinstatement
 with the Serenissima. Francesco I, from 1574 duke of Tuscany, asked
that the procedural documents be destroyed, the banishment annulled and primarily
 that Bianca be nominated a daughter of the Republic, a definition that
Venetian ladies married to a sovereign were entitled to. The title had until then
only been granted to Caterina Cornaro, queen of Cyprus, who had sacrificed
herself for the good of the Republic, renouncing the throne and retiring to
Asolo.

This grand honour must have compensated Bianca for the humiliations she
had suffered and at the same time brought prestige not only to the Republic,
which could count on a preferential diplomatic link with Florence, but also to
the Cappello family.

The account made by Francesco Molin, author of a report in the city that
devoted several pages to the life of Bianca Cappello, proves interesting in this
regard.14

He describes Sforza’s arrival in Venice and the lavish reception he was
given at the Palazzo Cappello, splendidly decorated and floodlit for the occasion.
 Sforza, accompanied by 50 senators, brought the news of the wedding to
the Collegio. Molin also tells with a marked sense of humour that many of the
relatives and nobles, dressed in »ducal style« purple silk hastened to pay homage
 to the Cappello family and the ambassador, thus showing how easily they
had changed their minds. After Bianca’s flight and her fall into disgrace even