One of the darlings of the Italian Renaissance, Isabella d’Este was one remarkable lady. Above all, she was highly intelligent and very well-educated for her times. She loved books and devoured the classics in Latin and Greek. She was also a major patron of the arts during the times of Raphael, Michelangelo and da Vinci. Eventually she married the Marquis of Mantua and bore him eight children. During the time her husband was taken prisoner, she took command of Mantua and adroitly fended off invasions. Her success humiliated her husband who lamented his shame at having as a wife “a woman who is always ruled by her head.” Ironically, she is most remembered for her style and fashion, but this feisty woman contributed a whole lot more!
