Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan, 1475-1497

This study reconstructs the life and milieu of a young duchess born into the Este family, tracing her upbringing, vivacious temperament, and enthusiastic embrace of courtly amusements and the arts. It charts her marriage to Lodovico Sforza and her role as a cultured patron who gathered painters, musicians, poets, and courtiers around the Milanese court. The account examines her participation in political and diplomatic affairs, her lively correspondence with family and artists, and moments of public advocacy and counsel. It concludes with her sudden death and the consequent unraveling of her husband’s fortunes, while weaving reflections on Renaissance female virtue, taste, and the archival sources that illuminate private and public life.