Beatrice was born into the prominent House of Este, a dynastic family of royal nobility, in the late 15th century. Like her older sister Isabella, Beatrice was a darling of the Italian Renaissance and a fashionista of her time. Like many young girls of her noble stature in the late Middle Ages, Beatrice was offered up in marriage to the Duke of Bari, Ludovico Sforza, in order to cement an already friendly political alliance between the two families. The great “Renaissance man†himself Leonardo da Vinci actually coordinated their wedding celebration! Beatrice was highly educated and carefully schooled in the rules of court. She lived in a time of great artists during a cultural rebirth as the Middle Ages moved toward the Modern Era. She demonstrated political acumen and savvy on her husband’s behalf as he usurped the rule of Milan making her Duchess of Milan in 1495. Beatrice died young in childbirth at the age of 21 (or as her husband wrote: “she gave her spirit back to Godâ€), and yet accomplished much in her short years. A true “Renaissance woman†known for her intelligence and charm, as well as her impeccable taste and style, Beatrice was one of the most accomplished princesses of her time. A fresco with her portrait faces da Vinci’s Last Supper in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
