Isabella de’ Medici was not killed, a book reveals

FLORENCE, ITALY – Isabella de’ Medici (1542-1576), the beautiful daughter of Grand Duke Cosimo I and Eleonora of Toledo, did not die, killed by her husband, out of jealousy, in the villa of Cerreto Guidi (Florence). Instead, she sank to a disease of the urinary tract. Elisabetta Mori has just published a book in italian titled “L’onore perduto di Isabella de’ Medici” (The lost honor of Isabella de’ Medici), Garzanti, 432 pages, Euro 25.

Elisabetta Mori is an archivist of the Historical Capitol of Rome for about 20 years studying the figure of Isabella de’ Medici. Actually new findings have changed what was until now seemed to history.

Isabella allegedly had a free-spirited personality which created rumours with regard to the nature of her relationship with Troilo Orsini, Paolo Giordano’s cousin, who was charged with looking after her while the Giordano was away tending to military duties. Paolo Giordano was eventually informed of Isabella’s infidelity.

As was known, her powerful father having died, the duke had Isabella strangled in the Villa di Cerreto Guidi, near Florence, probably with the complicity of her brother Francesco, the new Grand Duke. Troilo was also murdered in the same fashion in Paris a few months later. But now we know she sank and did not die killed by her husband.