Silvia Ruffini
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Silvia Ruffini (1475 - Rome, 6 December 1561) was a 16th century Italian noble woman and mistress of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (Pope Paul III from 1534); she was the mother of his four children.
Biography
She was the Daughter of Rufino Ruffini, and at some time around 1496 she married a Roman merchant Giovanni Battista Crispo, with whom she had three children (one of them is Cardinal Tiberio Crispo), Crispo died in 1501, [1] though she may already have been romantically involved with the Cardinal.
The tradition of their meeting is that is Silvia Ruffini was introduced to Alessandro Farnese by his sister Giulia,(mistress to then pope Alexander) and the Cardinal offered to be her escort through Rome.
The first daughter of Ruffini and Alessandro Farnese, Costanza,[1] was probably born already in 1500. To the cardinal, Silvia also had three other sons:[2] may have been born while Silvia' husband was still alive.[3]
When Alessandro became Bishop of Parma, the churches vicar-general, Bartolomeo Guidiccioni required him to break off with Silvia.[4] As Pope, Paul III kept her identiy a secret, fearing the negitive publicity that had plaugued his sister Julia who was mistress of Pope Alexander VI. Baldassarre Molosso, poet and guardian of the couple's children,[5] hints that Paul III kept her in the town of Bolsena, a village owned by her son and where Paul III had a villa. The location was also close to Silvias sister Camilla.
Family
Her parents were Rufino Ruffini, and Giovannella Caetani, Gaetani) and they lived in a palace in the Colonna neighborhood.
From the will of her father, who died in 1504, we know she had four brothers
- Giacomo, an associate of her husbans
- Girolamo,
- Ascanio and
- Mario, the latter two entered the preisthood
and two sisters
- Camilla and
- Ippolita.
She had 7 children through her husband and the Pope:Her children were:
Crispo Children
- Tiberio Crispo[1]
- two sons
Farnese Children
- Pier Luigi Farnese 1490-1547
- Lucrezia Farnese
- Ranuccio Farnese
- Paolo Farnese who married Girolama Orsini in 1519 in Valentano and had 5 children.
- Alessandro Farnese,
- Vittoria Farnese,
- Ottavio Farnese,
- Ranuccio Farnese and
- Orazio Farnese
- Costanza Farnese Married to Bosio Sforza
- Guido Sforza
- Alessandro Sforza (cardinal)
- Mario Sforza (Count de Santa Fiora)
- Sforza Sforza
- Faustina Sforza
- Francesca Sforza
Ruffini died on Teusday 5 December 1561 in Rome, aged about 86 years old, and was buried in a family crypt.
Portrayals
Silvia Ruffini is portrayed by Laura Fedorowycz in the Borgia (TV series).
Historian Patrizia Rosini beleives Silvia was the model for two portraits. One in the Allegory of Baptism in the Rondanini Palace and the second in the Sala del Perseo in the castle of Sant'Angelo,
References
- ^ a b c "FARNESE, Costanza in "Dizionario Biografico"". www.treccani.it.
- ^ Rendina, Claudio (December 6, 2011). "Le papesse". Newton Compton Editori – via Google Books.
- ^ FARNESE, Costanza, di Roberto Zapperi - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 45 (1995) .
- ^ Pope Paul III, Reformation 500.
- ^ Claudio Rendina, The Sins of the Vatican: Pride, greed, lust, pedophilia scandals and secrets of the Catholic Church (Gryphus Editora , Jul 16, 2012 ).
Category:1475 births Category:1561 deaths Category:House of Farnese Category:Papal family members Category:People from Rome Category:Women and the papacy
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