Ist veronica gambara biography

1. Biography of Veronica Gambara
2. Early Life and Education
3. Relationship with Pietro Bembo
4. Marriage and Family
5. Political Role
6. Later Years

Biography of Veronica Gambara

Veronica Gambara was an Italian poet and stateswoman during the Renaissance era. She was also the ruler of the city of Correggio. Known for her tender sentiments and elegant writing style, most of her works were sonnets.

Early Life and Education

Veronica Gambara was born near Brescia, Lombardy, Italy, into a noble family. She was one of seven children of Count Gianfrancesco Gambara and his cousin Alda Pio da Carpi. Her family was renowned for their intellectual pursuits, with notable figures such as her grandmother Ginevra Nogarola, her sister Ginevra Isotta Nogarola, and her maternal aunt Emilia Pio. Veronica received an excellent education, studying literature, philosophy, and foreign languages from an early age. She even composed Latin poetry.

Relationship with Pietro Bembo

At the age of 17, Veronica began corresponding with Pietro Bembo, the leader of the Petrarchists, who later became her mentor.

Marriage and Family

In 1508, Veronica became engaged to her cousin Giberto X, the Count of Correggio. Despite being 50 years old and having two daughters from a previous marriage, Giberto and Veronica married in Amalfi in 1509. Veronica developed a strong attachment to her husband. They had two sons: Ippolito, born in 1510, who became a condottiero like his father and later married Chiara da Correggio in 1534, and Gerolamo, born in 1511, who went on to become a cardinal. Veronica transformed her small court into a literary salon where Renaissance humanists felt at ease.

Political Role

Veronica played an important role in the history of Correggio during the Italian Wars between Emperor Charles V and King Francis I. Alongside her brothers Brunoro and Umberto, she rejected pro-French sentiments within her family and sided with the emperor. She addressed poems to the monarchs advocating for peace.

Later Years

After her husband's death in August 1518, Veronica expressed her sorrow through her writings, comparing herself to Dido abandoned by Aeneas. She took responsibility for managing her husband's estate, governing the city, and raising their children. She wore mourning attire indefinitely and kept a stable of four black horses as a symbol of her grief. Veronica arranged marriages for two of her adopted daughters: Costanza married Alessandro Gonzaga, Count of Novellara, and Ginevra married Count Paolo Fregoso from Genoa.

Veronica continued to play a significant role in Correggio's history during the reign of Emperor Charles V. She visited Parma in 1522, Ferrara and Venice in 1524, and then returned to Correggio. During Charles' coronation in Bologna in 1530, Veronica was reportedly instrumental in brokering a temporary reconciliation between warring factions. Her brother, Cardinal Umberto Gambara, governed Bologna on behalf of the Pope as vice-legate at the time. Veronica stayed in Bologna for some time, opening her salon to the public, possibly at the behest of her cardinal brother, who observed celibacy but needed a "first lady." Her salon attracted the likes of Pietro Bembo, Molza, Tressino, Flamini, and Tolomei.

In 1530 and 1533, Emperor Charles visited Correggio, and during his first visit, he signed an agreement with Veronica (later breached) that ensured Correggio would not be subjected to sieges. Veronica also traveled to Naples in 1535 following Charles' return from Tunisia. In 1538, she successfully defended her city against neighboring Duke Galeotto Pico della Mirandola. Surviving letters depict her descriptions of the famine suffered by the besieged citizens.