A chronology of the main events in the life of Bianca Cappello, Venetian noblewoman, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Daughter of the Republic.

Childhood

• 1519 — Bartolomeo Cappello born
• 1544 — Bartolomeo Cappello married Pellegrina Morosini
• 1547, August 13th — Vettor Cappello born
• 1548 — Bianca Cappello born (some sources say 1546)
• 1559 — Bartolomeo married Lucrezia Grimani, widow of Andrea Contarini, granddaughter of doge Antonio Grimani, and sister of Giovanni Grimani, Patriarch of Aquileia

Elopement

• 1563, November 28th, evening — Bianca eloped with Piero Bonaventuri
• 1563, December 2nd (circa) — Bianca and Piero arrived in Florence
• 1563, December 10th — Sentence of the Council of Ten against Bianca and Piero, supported by her father
• 1563, December 12th — Bianca and Piero married in Florence
• 1563, December 15th — Giambattista Bonaventuri (uncle of Piero) arrested in Venice
• 1564, February 24th — Giambattista Bonaventuri died in prison or shortly after release

Wife and mistress in Florence

• 1564, June 11th — Cosimo I de’ Medici abdicated in favour of Francesco
• 1564, July 7th — Piero’s father asked to be relieved of responsibility for Bianca
• 1564, July 23th — Birth of Pellegrina Bonaventuri, daughter of Bianca and Piero
• early 1565 — Agreement of marriage Francesco and Giovanna of Austria
• 1565, March 21st — Public announcement of marriage
• 1565 — Piero given a position with a stipend at the Florentine court
• 1565 — Negotiations between Vencie and the Grand Duke of Tuscany for the return of Bianca, without result
• 1565, December 9th — Giovanna arrived in Tuscany, at Poggio a Cajano
• 1565, December 16th — Giovanna received in Florence
• 1565, December 18th — Wedding
• 1566 — Giovanna pregnant
• 1567, September 12th — Piero bought the house in Via Maggio for Bianca
• 1567, November — Bianca and Piero moved into the new house
• 1567 — Francesco gifted Bianca an agricultural estate for her upkeep
• 1569, April — Giovanna’s brother Charles visited Florence, due to rumours the marriage was creaking
• 1569 (late) — Cosimo granted title of Grand Duke of Tuscany by the pope
• 1570 (early) — Cosimo in Rome to be crowned
• 1570 — Piero had affair with Catarina Ricci, whose family complained
• 1570 — Giovanna discovered the affair between Francesco and Bianca, who left the city for a villa
• 1570 — Francesco and Giovanna travelled around Tuscany together
• 1570 — Francesco sent Bianca his miniature portrait by Cellini
• 1570, September 30th — Francesco and Giovanna return to Florence after their journey
• 1571, September — Giovanna’s fourth child daughter died a few months old
• 1571 (late) — Bianca returned to Florence, and their affair picked up again, in her house
• 1571 — the Ricci family complained over Piero again, through Isabella sister of Francesco
• 1571 — Bianca intervened, tried to convince Piero to abandon Caterina Ricci, he refused and confronted Ruperto Ricci aggressively in the streets
• 1572, August 26th — Ruporto Ricci, head of the Ricci family, talked to Francesco, who later left the city
• 1572, August evening/night 26th – Piero assassinated by the Ricci

Widow in Florence

• 1572 (summer/autumn) — Bartolomeo Cappello wrote Bianca, urging her to come back
• 1572, September 24th — Isabella de’ Medici wrote Bianca that her father wanted her back in Venice only for her money
• 1572, November — Giovanna’s fifth daughter
• 1572, November — Cosimo de’ Medici very sick with apoplexy
• 1573, January 9th — letter from Bianca to her cousin Andrea Cappello
• 1573, March 28th — another letter to Andrea
• 1573, April — Giovanna travelled to Loreto to pray for a male child
• 1574, April 21st — Cosimo I de’ Medici died, and Francesco became Grand Duke of Florence
• 1574 — Bianca moved to another palace on the opposite side of the Arno, to avoid meeting Giovanna on the streets
• 1574 (summer) — Bianca fainted in church, fell il and almost died. Francesco desperate at her bedside
• 1675 (mid) — Bianca holds a banquet in her countryside villa La Tana for the Medici family, only Francesco wasn’t there
• 1575 (autumn) — Bianca returned to Florence and held court in her new palace
• 1576 — Pellegrina Bonaventuri betrothed to Count Ulisse Bentivoglia from Bologna
• 1576, July 10th — Pietro de’ Medici murdered his wife Leonora de Toledo. Pietro wasn’t punished
• 1576, July 16th — Leonora buried in haste
• 1576, July 16th — Isabella de’ Medici murdered by her husband, the Duke of Bracciano
• 1576, August — The only son of Pietro and Leonora died. He was the only malle heir on the direct line from Cosimo
• 1576, August 29th — Don Antonio born to Bianca and Francesco, fake or not
• 1577, Febraury — Pellegrina married in Bologna, Bianca travelled there and stayed several months
• 1577, May 20th — Giovanna gave birth to a son Filippo
• 1577, June — Feasts and celebrations in Florence for the make heir
• 1577 (summer) — Bianca met her brother Vettor in Bologna for the first time since eloping
• 1577, August — Bianca bought Palazzo Trevisan in the Rio Cannonica for her father and brother
• 1577, September — Baptism of Filippo de’ Medici. Bianca remained in Bologna
• 1577, November — Bianca returned to Tuscany but stayed in one of her countryside villas
• 1578 (early) — Bianca returned to Florence
• 1578, April — Vettor Cappello in Florence to visit his sister
• 1578, April — Giovanna pregnant again, fell ill as Vettor arrived
• 1578, April — Vettor entertained in the Pratolino villa just outside the city by Bianca and Francesco
• 1578, April — Vettor presented at court, in front of Giovanna
• 1578, April 9th — Chance encounter between Giovanna and Francesco with Bianca, travelling together in a carriage, on their way to Pratolino. Giovanna angrily confronted Bianca, and returned to the Pitti Palace where she collapsed, still pregnant
• 1578, April 10th — Giovanna went to the Annunciata church to pray, and fell down a stair. Returned to Palazzo Pitti, she gave birth to stillborn son
• 1578, April 11th — Giovanna died. She was buried immediately with the infant
• 1578, April 18th — Official burial of an effigy of Giovanna

After the death of Giovanna

• 1578, May — Ferdinando immediately tried to organise a second marriage for Francesco
• 1578, June 5th — Bianca and Francesco secretly married
• 1578 (summer) — Bianca moved into the palazzo Pitti as governess for the children
• 1578, August — Bianca wrote her father with the news, to be kept secret
• 1578 (late) — Vettor arrived in Florence, to convince Francesco to make Bianca his official wife, with the offer that Bianca would be pronounced “Daughter of the Republic”
• 1579, June 10th — the marriage was made public

Venetian recognition of the marriage

• 1579, June 12th — The ambassador from Tuscany arrived in Venice
• 1579, June 13th — The ambassador formally welcomed by 40 senators, and moved to the Palazzo Trevisan
• 1579, June 14th — Reception of the ambassador in the Pien Collegio
• 1579, June 15th — The letters from Tuscany are read in the Pregadi, and a motion to recognise Bianca as “Daughter of this state” was carried by 195 yes, 9 no, 11 non sincere. Two ambassadors were elected, and a letter drafted, which wasn’t delivered the same day due to a discussion over the exact wording between Savii and the Senate
• 1579, June 16th — The Pregadi convened, and the replies were read to the Florentine ambassador. Feasts and regattas, both for the Florentine community in Venice and the friends and relatives of the Cappello family
• 1579, June 17th — Bartolomeo e Vettor Cappello made Cavalieri di San Marco, and more feasts.
• 1579, June 18th — Vettor Cappello departed for Florence with the letters
• 1579, June 21th — The replies to Venice, from the Grand Duke of Tuscany and Bianca, written at the Pratolino
• 1579 (summer) — Festivities for the public announcement of Bianca as Grand Duchess
• 1579, July 8th — Giovanni, natural bother of Grand Duke Francesco, a child of 13 years, arrived in Venice. He was received at Santo Spirito by 20 officials, and at Santa Maria di Grazia by 30 senators
• 1579, July 10th — Giovanni received in the Pien Collegio, and delivered letters of thanks for the honours bestowed to the doge
• 1579, July 11th — The Council of Ten decided that Giovanni could cast a ballot in the Maggior Consiglio, one time only, which he did. He was given rich gifts and feasts
• 1579, July 21st — Giovanni departed Venice

The wedding in Florence

• 1579, September 16th — The Cappello family arrived in Florence for the wedding and the crowning ceremony
• 1579, September 28th — The Venetian ambassadors arrived in lavish style, with 500 horses and 70 Venetian noblemen in the company
• 1579, September 30th — The Venetian ambassadors presented at court in Florence with rich gifts. They were hosted at Palazzo Pitti
• 1579, October 1st — The ambassadors met the Grand Duke and Duchess privately, and dined with the father and brother of Bianca, the Patriach of Aquileia, and many Venetian nobles
• 1579, October 2nd — Formal audience of the ambassadors with the Grand Duke
• 1579, October 3rd — Formal audience of the ambassadors with the Duchess, who were presented with the wedding gifts
• 1579, October 12th — The official wedding ceremony was performed in the Palazzo Vecchio
• 1579, October — Three weeks of festivities for all the guests, also in the villas around Florence, such as Pratolino
• 1579, October — The ambassadors were presented with valuable gifts
• 1579, October 19th — The ambassadors departed Florence.

Grand Duchess of Tuscany

• 1580, October — Ferdinando de’ Medici arrived in Florence, apparently for a reconciliation with Francesco
• 1582, March — Don Filippo fell ill
• 1582, March 29th — Don Filippo died, four years old
• 1586 (spring) — Bianca ill, initially thought to be a pregnancy
• 1585, June — The Grand Duke expressed desire to visit Venice officially, which received a positive reply from Venice. The letters were carried by Bartolomeo and Vettor Cappello
• 1585, July — The Grand Duke replid, through the Cappello, that the visit must be postponed, as he has important negotiations with Spain ongoing
• 1585, November — Bianca fell sick, had faints, and there was fear for her life

The end

• 1587 (late summer) – The court moved to Poggio a Cajano
• 1587, September 25th — Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici arrived from Rome
• 1587, early October — Pellegtina, with husband and cardinal Alessandro de’ Medici arrived
• 1587, October 6th — The men went hunting
• 1587, October 19th — Francesco died at Pioggia di Cajano, appointing Ferdinando his heir
• 1587, October 20th — Funeral of Francesco in the Medici chapel in San Lorenzo in Florence
• 1587, October 20th — Bianca died
• 1587, October 21th — Funeral of Bianca, in San Lorenzo, in an unmarked crypt
• 1587, October 24th — News of the deaths of Francesco and Bianca arrived from Rome
• 1587, late October — Grand Duke Ferdinando denied Bianca all honours, and had her coat of arms removed everywhere
• 1587, late October — The Republic of Venice didn’t declare any public mourning, to please Grand Duke Ferdinando

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