Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (Pitti, Florence, Tuscany, 11th
August 1667 – Pitti, Florence, Tuscany, 18th February 1743)
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| The Electress by Jan Frans van Douven |
Medici is a name that has become somewhat notorious over the
years. Immensely powerful, with banking, religion and politics second nature, the
family’s reputation resonates even today and in the last few years members of
the Medici clan have featured in film, literature and even computer games. The royal
line of the house of Medici became extinct on this day in 1743 with the death
of Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, wife of Johann Wilhelm II, Elector Palatine, a marriage that remained childless.
The cause of Anna Maria’s death has never been satisfactorily
established and was, depending on who is telling the tale, a long and drawn out
affair or a sudden, unexpected fever that culminated in an “oppression on the
breast”. Upon hearing this last explanation when I first encountered Anna Maria
many years ago, I assumed that the unfortunate lady must have succumbed to
breast cancer but received wisdom for many years was that Anna Maria actually
died as a result of syphilis, contracted from her own husband, who predeceased
her by almost three decades.
In the last years of her life, Anna Maria lived a secluded
life devoted to amassing a collection of art and donating the vast majority of
her fortune to charity. However, on 18th February, as wild winds raged
in the skies above Tuscany, the Electress of Palatine died. Her remains were
laid to rest in the crypt at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, a structure that she
had financed and championed throughout her life and that she even remembered in
her will.
However, Anna Maria’s story does not end there and in 2012,
Anna Maria’s remains were exhumed for research purposes. Samples of her bones
were taken, in addition to a full 3D scan of the skeleton and the contents of
the coffin. Subsequent studies on the biological materials recovered from the
grave have not conclusively proved the cause of Anna Maria’s death, and to this
day, it remains a mystery.
Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.
Pen and Sword
Amazon UK
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Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)
Life in the Georgian Court, true tales of 18th century royalty, is available at the links below.
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Book Depository (free worldwide shipping)
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