Viridis Visconti

Viridis Visconti
Viridis Visconti
Duchess of Austria
	Portrait of Viridis Visconti by Anton Boys
Born	c. 1352; Milan, Italy
Died	1 March 1414 (aged 61-62); Stična Abbey, Windic March
Spouse	Leopold III, Duke of Austria
Issue	William; Leopold IV; Ernest the Iron; Frederick IV
House	Visconti (by birth)
Father	Bernabò Visconti
Mother	Beatrice Regina della Scala

Viridis Visconti (1354–1414) was an Italian noblewoman. Her marriage to Leopold III, Duke of Austria, Viridis was Duchess consort of Austria, Styria and Carinthia, she was also Countess consort of Tyrol.

Family

Born in c.1354, Viridis was born in Milan,^[1] a daughter of the Lord of Milan, Bernabò Visconti^[2] and his wife Beatrice Regina della Scala.^[3] She was likely named after her maternal aunt Verde della Scala.

Parents of Viridis by Andrea di Bonaiuto

Viridis and the rest of her sisters secured politically advantageous marriages. Viridis was seen as a very eligible bride, as not only did the Visconti family rule over the extremely wealthy region of Lombardy by her father Bernabòs strategically marrying off his many children, whom he systematically married to members of the nobility, so he had a network of relatives among the leading families of the Empire.

Thus in 1365 she was betrothed to the fourteen year old Leopold. She brought 100 000 florins as dowry.^[4] The marriage was arranged by the grooms brother Rudolf II, Duke of Austria who allying themselves through marriage with the powerful Viscontis, the Habsburgs found an ally in their efforts to secure their rule in Tyrol. ^[5]Rudolf however died on his way to attend the marriage of Viridis and Leopold in Milan.^[6] Viridis husband therefore came to co-rule Austria with his brother Albrecht.^[5]

They were married 23 February 1365 in the Bernabo palace at the church San Giovanni in Conca. Her parents gifted her a Tacuinum Sanitatis around this time.

Viridis and her husband lived at Tyrol Castle near Merano^[4]

In 1385 her father was deposed by her cousin Gian Galeazzo Visconti and brother-in-law through having married her sister Caterina Visconti. Bernabo was then imprisoned in the castle of Trezzo, he died on 19 December of that year, presumably poisoned.

Marriage

Viridis married Leopold III, Duke of Austria,^[2] son of Albert II, Duke of Austria and his wife Johanna of Pfirt.

The couple had:

William the Courteous^[7]
Leopold IV the Fat^[8]
Ernest the Iron^[2]
Frederick IV of the Empty Pockets^[8]
Elisabeth (1378–1392)
Margaretha (1370–?)
Catherine (1385–?), Abbess of St. Klara in Vienna

Viridis was widowed in 1386, and her eldest son William became Duke of Austria.

She was a long time benefactor of the Stična Abbey, and often lend money to the abbot of the monastery. As widow, she resided on a property close to the convent.

Death

Viridis died on 1 March 1414 and out-lived at least three of seven children, since her younger daughter Katherine's date of death is unknown. Viridis is buried in Sittich, Karnten, Austria.^[1]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Viridis Visconti

10. Bernabò Doria

5. Valentina Doria

11. Eliana Fieschi

1. Viridis Visconti

12. Alboino I della Scala

6. Mastino II della Scala

13. Beatrice da Correggio

3. Beatrice Regina della Scala

14. Jacopo I da Carrara

7. Taddea da Carrara

15. Anna Gradenigo

References

^ ^a ^b York 1999, p. 51.
^ ^a ^b ^c Margolis 2016, p. 73.
^ Antenhofer & Schober 2021, p. 8.
^ ^a ^b Meier, Bruno (2013-05-27). Ein Königshaus aus der Schweiz: Die Habsburger, der Aargau und die Eidgenossenschaft im Mittelalter (in German). Hier und Jetzt, Verlag für Kultur und Geschichte. ISBN 978-3-03919-735-4.
^ ^a ^b Beller, Steven (2006). A Concise History of Austria. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-47886-1.
^ Beller, Steven (2006). A Concise History of Austria. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-47886-1.
^ Wilson 2016, p. lviii.
^ ^a ^b Wilson 2016, p. lix.

Sources

Antenhofer, Christina; Schober, Richard, eds. (2021). Tiroler Heimat 86 (2022): Zeitschrift für Regional- und Kulturgeschichte Nord-, Ost- und Sudtirols (in German). Universitätsverlag Wagner.
Margolis, Oren (2016). The Politics of Culture in Quattrocento Europe: René of Anjou in Italy. Oxford University Press.
Wilson, Peter (2016). Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Harvard University Press.
York, Laura (1999). "Visconti, Virida (c.1354-1414)". In Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah (eds.). Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 16:Vict-X. Yorkin Publishing.

External links

Media related to Viridis Visconti at Wikimedia Commons

[FOOTNOTEYork199951-1] York 1999, p. 51.

[FOOTNOTEMargolis201673-2] Margolis 2016, p. 73.

[FOOTNOTEAntenhoferSchober20218-3] Antenhofer & Schober 2021, p. 8.

[:0-4] Meier, Bruno (2013-05-27). Ein Königshaus aus der Schweiz: Die Habsburger, der Aargau und die Eidgenossenschaft im Mittelalter (in German). Hier und Jetzt, Verlag für Kultur und Geschichte. ISBN 978-3-03919-735-4.

[:1-5] Beller, Steven (2006). A Concise History of Austria. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-47886-1.

[6] Beller, Steven (2006). A Concise History of Austria. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-47886-1.

[FOOTNOTEWilson2016lviii-7] Wilson 2016, p. lviii.

[FOOTNOTEWilson2016lix-8] Wilson 2016, p. lix.

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