Taddea Visconti

Taddea Visconti
Duchess of Bavaria
Spouse(s)	Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria
Issue Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria Isabeau, Queen of France
Noble family	House of Visconti (by birth) House of Wittelsbach (by marriage)
Father	Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan
Mother	Beatrice Regina della Scala
Born	1351 Milan, Italy
Died	28 September 1381 Munich, Germany

Taddea Visconti, Duchess of Bavaria (1351 – 28 September 1381) was an Italian noblewoman of the Visconti family, the ruling house in Milan from 1277 to 1447. She was the first wife of Stephen III, Duke of Bavaria, and the mother of the French queen Isabeau of Bavaria.^[1]

Early life

Bernabò Visconti and Beatrice Regina della Scala, the parents of Taddea Visconti

Born in Milan in 1351, sometime after 27 June, Taddea was the eldest child of Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan, and Beatrice Regina della Scala (1331–18 June 1384).^[2] She had sixteen younger siblings. Her paternal grandparents were Stefano Visconti, Lord of Milan, and Valentina Doria, and her maternal grandparents were Mastino II della Scala and Taddea da Carrara.

Taddea's father Bernabò, continually at war with the papacy, was a ruthless despot,^[3] who would, in 1385, be overthrown by his nephew and son-in-law Gian Galeazzo Visconti and later poisoned in the castle of Trezzo.^[4]

Marriage

Bavaria was the wealthiest and most powerful of the German states at the time. Bernabò managed to secure the marriages of four of his children to members of the ruling Wittelsbach family. Taddea, being the eldest, was the first of the four Visconti children selected.

In 1367, Taddea became the first wife of Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingolstadt, who, on 13 May 1375, became Duke of Bavaria. He ruled jointly with his brothers, Frederick and John II, in Bavaria-Landshut. Taddea brought a dowry of 100,000 gold ducats.^[5] Her husband Stephen is described by historian Barbara Tuchman as "reckless, prodigal, ostentatious, amorous, restless without a tournament or war and well-suited to a Visconti daughter".^[6]

The marriage produced three children:

• Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria (c. 1368–2 May 1447), married firstly Anne de Bourbon, by whom he had issue, and secondly, Catherine d'Alençon. He had several illegitimate children by various mistresses.
• Isabeau of Bavaria, (early 1370–24 September 1435), Queen consort of King Charles VI of France, whom she married on 17 July 1385.
• unnamed son (born and died in 1377)

Death and legacy

Taddea died on 28 September 1381 in Munich at the age of 30. She was buried in Unsere Liebe Frau.^[7] Less than four years later, her daughter, Isabeau, became Queen of France. Taddea's husband Stephen married secondly, on 16 January 1401, Elisabeth of Cleves, daughter of Count Adolf III of Cleves. This second marriage was childless.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Taddea Visconti

Teobaldo Visconti               Matteo I Visconti, Lord of Milan                       Anastasia Pirovana               Stefano Visconti, Lord of Milan                             Squarcina Borri               Violante Bonacosa Borri                       Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan                                   Brancaleone Doria               Barnabo Doria, Captain of Genoa                       Caterina Zancha               Valentina Doria                             Federico Fieschi, Lord of Genoa               Eliana Fieschi                       Chiara N.               Taddea Visconti                                         Alberto I della Scala, Lord of Verona               Alboino I della Scala, Lord of Verona                       Verde di Salizzole               Mastino II della Scala                             Gilberto III da Correggio, Lord of Parma               Beatrice da Correggio                       Elena Malaspina               Beatrice Regina della Scala                                   Marsiglio III da Carrara               Jacopo I da Carrara                       N.N. di Carturo               Taddea da Carrara                             Pietro Gradenigo, Doge of Venice               Anna Gradenigo                       Tommasina Morosini

References

1. Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Dukes of Bavaria
2. Cawley, Medieval Lands, Lords of Milan, Visconti
3. Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror, p. 254, published by Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1978
4. Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror,ps.437-438
5. Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror, p. 436.
6. Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror, pages 436-437
7. Cawley, Medieval Lands, Dukes of Bavaria.

Sources

• Cawley, Charles. "Dukes of Bavaria". Medieval Lands.
• Cawley, Charles. "Lords of Milan, Visconti". Medieval Lands.
• Tuchman, Barbara (1978). A Distant Mirror. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.