Gonzaga, Julia

Daughter of Lodovico Gonzaga and Francesca Fieschi (daughters of Gian Luigi Fieschi, Doge of Genoa), sister of Paola Gonzaga . Her father was Signor Gazzouolo, Sabbioneta , Viadana and Casalmajor . Born in Gazzuolo near Mantua , in the residence of her grandfather Gianfrancesco Gonzaga and Antonia del Balzo.

Her paternal grandmother, Antonia del Balzo, who will play a large role in the fate of Julia, was distinguished by her beauty and education. She was the daughter of Pirro, prince of Altamur , the heir to Bo , a Provençal surname so ancient that they built their clan to the magician king Balthazar and had a Bethlehem star in their arms. Antonia was a close friend of the famous Isabella d'Este, and after the death of her husband she lived with her son Lodovico (who was absent from the war for a long time) and followed the education of her grandchildren ^[1] .

Julia received her primary education in Gazzuolo, where there was a small but cultural courtyard connected with neighboring Mantuan. At the age of 7, when the family fortune was divided between her father and his two brothers, she moved with her mother and their other children to the more modest Sabbionetu castle. This castle was chosen by her father, the captain of the imperial army, primarily because of its strategic position. There she continued her studies, which were very worthy ^[2] . The girl, as well as her brothers, was taught Greek and Latin.

Of the children of her father, her brother Luigi Gonzaga (1500–1532), an excellent warrior who received the nickname “ Rodomont ” in honor of the hero of the poem about the Furious Roland, is also worth special mention. He early began a military and diplomatic career, and while Julia was still quite young, he managed to accompany Emperor Charles V during his visit to London to Henry VIII .

In 1525, the girlfriend of her grandmother, Marquis Isabella d'Este, in a desire to deliver a cardinal hat to her second son Ercole, went to Rome and, to make her goal a success, decided to surround herself with as many beautiful women as possible. 12-year-old Julia joined this train. Her cousin Camilla Gonzaga from Novellar was also there . In February, they traveled to Ferrara , where the duke Alfonso d'Este was glad to welcome his sister, however, there were no major holidays, as he was still in mourning for Lucretia’s wife. In Ferrara, they stayed for three days. In Pesaro , Isabella’s daughter, Leonora , welcomed them. Then they were overtaken by the news of the battle of Pavia . Julia's brother Luigi was then in Spain, but her two uncles, Pirro and Federico, fought on the side of the French and also, like the king, were captured. Isabella was proud of the role of her nephew Charles, the Duke of Bourbon (son of Chiara Gonzaga), in the victory of the emperor, but she mourned many friends ^[1] .

When Isabella d'Este arrived in Rome, there she was received with all the glitz. In May, the Marquis recovered to a banquet in the house of Cardinal Pompeo Colonna , who offered her his palace as a habitat during his stay in the Eternal City. Isabella, in whose retinue Julia remained, settled in Rome for a long time and held a brilliant court, enjoying the company of brilliant aristocrats and intellectuals, in particular, Pietro Bembo ^[1] .

Wife

In August 1526, at the age of 14, Julia was married to the son of the famous warlord Prospero Colonna , Count Vespasiano Colonna (1480-13 March 1528), Count Fondi and Duke Traetto , who was recently widowed after the death of Beatrice Appiani, daughter of Signor Piombino, and father of daughter Isabella. Vespasiano got acquainted with the future bride, visiting the palace of his brother Cardinal Pompeo, where Marquis d'Este lived. The widow of Julia by the marriage contract was stipulated in 70 thousand ducats ^[1] . Fondi, whose earl was the bridegroom, is halfway between Rome and Naples. He was turned into a county in 1504 by Ferdinand II of Aragon and gave it to his father Prospero Colonna, as a reward for the dedication that his family had for the Spanish crown.

After the wedding, the newlyweds went to Palyano . Vespasiano was 33 years older than Julia, he was distinguished by poor health, was crippled and maimed - without a hand ( infirmus claudius ac mancus ); and the marriage was allegedly not even summoned . In parallel with these events, the conflict between Pope Clement VII and the emperor developed, which would later lead to the Sacco di Roma (see Italian Wars ), but before that Charles V sent Hugo de Moncada to Rome who arrived to the Colonna brothers (imperial vassals). Vespasiano Colonna at the head of the armed detachments went to Rome once again to explain to the pope that his pro-French policy does not suit the emperor. Dad fled to the castle of sv. Angela , leaving the Vatican to plunder the soldiers. Vespasiano returned to Palyano with triumph, announcing that his father had promised to renounce the League and withdraw his troops from Milan , as well as to give hostages. Instead, the perfidious pontiff sent military units to the land of the Column and destroyed 14 castles and villages, cutting out a lot of vassals ^[1] .

Isabella d'Este, meanwhile, finally paid 40 thousand ducats for a cardinal's hat to her son Ercole, and this money was delivered to her father by Julia's brother Pirrot Gonzaga. And after her pillaging of Rome, her other brother, Luigi, was entrusted with the mission of transporting the pope from St. Angel’s castle to a safe place (November 21, 1527). He helped him move to Orvieto , and his father highly appreciated the help of Luigi in this matter ^[1] .

Army League, meanwhile, continued to attack the kingdom of Neapolitan . Vespasiano Colonna took part in the defense, as he remained loyal to the emperor. In March 1528 he was brought home mortally wounded, on the 12th of the same month he wrote a will, and the next day he died, leaving Julia a widow after 3 years of marriage. She took the emblem of Amaranth flower and the motto Non moritura ^[1] .

Widow

According to the testament of her husband, Julia, who brought him 12 thousand gold scones to the dowry, became the heir of her husband, provided that she did not remarry, otherwise everything went to his daughter Isabella (1513-1570). In the will, he wrote that he would bequeath to Isabella if she marries Ippolito Medici (1511-1535), the pope's nephew, a dowry of 30 thousand ducats, if they give their children the surname Colonna.

Two unmarried women with a colossal state - Julia and her stepdaughter Isabella, immediately attracted attention. A relative of the late Vespasiano, Sharra Colonna wanted to get Pagliano himself, and Ascanio Colonna also claimed his rights as the closest male heir. Isabella and Julia locked themselves in Castello, which was reinforced. Before Sharra Orsini launched his attack on the castle, Napoleone Orsini , Abbot Farfa, arrived in Palyano with a detachment and captured Sharra. Napoleone was the enemy of both the pope and the emperor, and the latter, hearing about the difficult situation of the ladies, decided to send them help (Clement VII said that he owed his life and safety to Luigi, who brought him to Orvieto, and therefore considered it his duty to help his sister ). Luigi Gonzaga defeated Orsini and freed Sharra. Isabella was fascinated by the savior, brother of her stepmother, (although it was still implied that her husband would be Hippolito Medici, the pope's nephew), Luigi was also carried away by her. Julia sent her brother Pirro Gonzaga to the Pope, wanting to get permission from him for this marriage. Ippolito, by this time, was no longer considered as the future head of Florence (because the city revolted and drove out the dynasty), moreover, the pope had planned for him a spiritual and, therefore, a celibate career. Luigi and Isabella secretly get engaged (or even get married), but then he is quickly recalled to another mission, and the Pope sends a detachment of 800 soldiers led by Girolamo Matteo instead. ^[1]

Meanwhile, the marriage of Luigi and Isabella remained a secret, since her relatives Colonna still wanted to get her hand and fortune. They even sent a petition to the emperor about this question. Ferrante I Gonzaga (another son of Isabella d'Este) also went to ask the emperor's hands for this enviable bride, and since his chances of getting his approval looked quite threatening, Luigi quickly sent his brother Canino to the same place confirming that the girl was already married . Insulted by Ferrante d'Este challenged the legitimacy of this marriage, Luigi was recalled from the battlefield for his testimony. By order of the pope and Ferrante’s insistence, Isabella was subjected to formal interrogation (in Civita Castellana in the presence of Jambatista Mentebuon and Don Diego de Sota), but she insisted that she did not want another husband. In the end, Ferrante gave up and married another woman (also secretly). Luigi returned to besiege Florence. There he wrote a poem in the stanzas “To Praise My Dame,” dedicated to Isabella ^[1] .

In 1531 , finally, the marriage was finally approved and Luigi became Duke of Trietto and Count Fondi. Julia, now officially the widowed duchess (in the presence of the “acting” duchess - her stepdaughter Isabella) decided to go home, because Fondi became a haven for the newlyweds. Her mother had died by this time, and her father had taken the veil and became the abbot, but grandmother Antonia gladly met her granddaughter. Then Julia stayed in Ferrara, where she communicated with the new Duchess Rene . During the trip, she was accompanied by a significant escort, on which her brother insisted, indicating that many would like to abduct her ^[1] .

In December, the specialty arrived with the sad news that when joining the city of Vicovaro, her brother Luigi was wounded in the left shoulder of the arquebus . Almost immediately the second courier arrived with the news that it was all over, and he died (December 3, 1532) at the age of 33. The body of the deceased was transported to Fondi, where the funeral procession passed through the streets, arriving at the cathedral. Isabella was with the dying wife, arriving at his first information about the danger. Luigi in the will left shares to his captains, friends, servants (by listing them all by name). His widow Isabella was appointed guardian of their newborn son Vespasiano I Gonzaga (December 1531), and if she remarries, his father Abbot Lodovico will be the guardian.

Julia turned her palace into the Fondi Cultural Center - “Little Athens”, attracting the attention of many of her contemporaries, both in her activities and in her beauty. Her secretary was the Modenic poet Gandolfo Porrino , the circle included Vittoria Colonna , Marcantonio Flaminio , Vittore Soranzo , Francesco Moltz , Francesco Berni , artist Sebastiano del Piombo (who made her portrait), Pierre Paolo Vergerio , Pietro Carnesecchi .

Julia never married again, but apparently had a connection with the failed fiance of Isabella - Cardinal Hippolito Medici, who left for the sake of her salon courtesan Tullia d'Aragon . It was Ippolito’s concerns that created two portraits of Julia by Sebastiano de Piombo and Titian , and he organized a special escort to accompany Sebastiano to Fondi to write this portrait. Looking after her, he translated the second book of the Aeneid and sent her with a love dedication, saying that he worked on this text because his heart was burning as much as Troy was burning ^[3] . Poems, which he wrote in her honor, contributed to the spread of her beautiful glory.

Pirates Attack

In July 1534, the pirate Khairr ad-Din Barbarossa began his raid with a fleet of 48 ships and 2,000 men: after leaving the Golden Horn, he attacked Messina and burned several ships, then, passing by the coast of Calabria , he suddenly attacked Reggio and took a number of ships and prisoners. Then he burned San Lucido , taking 800 prisoners and betraying most of the inhabitants to the sword. Then the corsairs arrived at Chetraro de Monachi, which they had set on fire, and burned seven ships of the viceroy seignor de Toledo , capturing many women.

Pirate ships passed in view of Naples, very frightened residents and landed on a small island of Procida , which they left completely devastated. Then this new Attila arrived in Sperlonga , a fishing village 8 miles from Fondi, where he killed the commander of the fort and captured or killed most of the inhabitants. In Sperlonga, he found a traitor, who showed him the way through the forest, and with a powerful throw under cover of night with a large detachment of armed people, by dawn, they reached Via Appia . On the night of 8/9 August, the inhabitants of Fondi slept peacefully, since no one knew about the proximity of the pirates. The bridges were lowered when Barbarossa and his men entered the city. They met no resistance - poddesta Fondi, Messer Stekachcho did not have the courage to resist and fled. The bishop, Giacomo Pellegrino, also escaped. The corsairs headed straight for the palace, and finding Julia escaped, they rained down on her helpless servant.

The slaughter lasted 4 hours, and many of those who had not been killed were taken aboard Sperlonga to the ship as slaves. When the marauders got down to business, there were fires on the streets. Even the Cathedral of San Pietro was robbed - graves were opened and bodies were thrown out, including the dust of Prospero and Mark Antonio Colonna. The sad fate befell the nuns of the nearest Benedictine monastery (on the hill in front of Strada Appiah Nuova). Barbarossa decided that Julia had disappeared there, and the Turks rushed into the monastery and, not finding her, killed many nuns. Julia, who was awakened in the middle of the night by a faithful servant when the enemies were already in the palace, fled to the deshab, apparently through a window to a secret drawbridge. Along the dark aisle, she snuck into the courtyard, where, by a happy coincidence, the horses stood, and with her companion climbed out. Most likely, she hid in her Castello Campomidele (4 miles) on a hill, with solidly fortified walls and towers. The path there went through a dense forest, where it was also convenient to hide. Vallekos, where Colonna had another castle, has long argued that it was he who sheltered Julia, but Campomidele seems to be a more convincing version. After leaving Fondi, the pirate rushed at Ytri (7 miles), another feud of Julia, but its inhabitants were so brave that the corsairs were forced to retreat. In Terracina, they were more successful, and the city was plundered. In this case, Bishop Alessandro Argoli, too, was able to escape.

After a while, many legends grew around her escape, for example, that a pirate wanted to kidnap Julia in order to deliver Suleiman I. as a gift. News of her flight began to run in a dozen of fantastic variations and a number of poetic works were devoted to this event. ( Adolfo Bioy Casares describes the statue he has seen on this plot: “ Julia Gonzaga, the beauty of Italy, riding a horse across the mountains with her priestess ”). Another quite popular legend, as if the servant who accompanied Julia, was later killed by her orders, as he saw her in an improper form (cf. with the plot of the death of Acteon , who saw naked Artemis ).

It was rumored that the pirate was provoked by family members of her late husband, who wanted to get the lands bequeathed to her back. One of the main contenders for this property was Ascanio Colonna, Vittoria's brother, but his actions could not break the friendship between these two famous women of their time.

When Julia's messenger reached Rome with news of the raid, the pope was just dying. Cardinal Ippolito Medici assembled a detachment of the forces of the papal army, led him and went to her. Unfortunately, it was too late for decisive action, since the pirates had already sailed from Sperlonga. Italy was shocked and climbed the whole, only Naples donated 250 thousand ducats to the emperor Carl to cleanse the land of these cruel barbarians and undermine their power forever. Cardinal Ippolito strengthened Fondi fortifications, added people. Only after that he gave the keys to the city of Julia. Julia took up the restoration and restoration of the city, generously spending money.

Meanwhile, the pirate decided to attack Tunisia . Moulay Hassan, the ruler of Tunisia, asked the emperor Charles V for help, who also did not want the pirates to have a new base in addition to Algeria . In winter, preparations began for the expedition, to which many young nobles joined, in which the insult of Julia aroused enthusiasm. Doge Genoa Andrea Doria decided to join, the new Pope Paul III sent 22 galleys led by Virginio Orsini, who joined the rest of the Italian fleet in Naples in May. The emperor met them in Palermo on June 11 with a large army and armada from more than 300 ships sailed to Africa, reaching her in 3 days. The high command was given to the Marquis del Vasto , and the first attack fell on Goletta (the twin towers who guarded the Tunisian channel). Francesco Miranda, Chancellor of Prince Sulmona wrote to her in August 1535 from Tunisia.

By this time, Isabella had a falling out with all her relatives. After six months of widowhood, she decided to visit the estates of her husband in Lombardy and claim her rights to them. On June 9, 1533, she set off from Fondi with 13 ladies and a strong escort and arrived in Gazziolo, where Donna Antonia accepted her. New relatives did not like it very much. Her manners were too proud, she looked down on Gonzaga too, being a princess from the Colonna line. Soon she left Gazzuolo and insisted that her court be located in Sibionette, where she intended to rule as a lady (although in fact she did not have this right, because Abbot Lodovico was still alive). She was visited by Federico the Duke of Mantua. She then returned to Fondi with Vespasiano, who was already four years old. Judging by the letter to Julia to cousin Ferrante Gonzaga, the viceroy of Sicily on July 3, 1535, Isabella claimed part of the land bequeathed by her father Julia. In May 1535 they entered into an agreement.

On August 10, 1535, Ippolito Medici died in Itri from malaria (or from the poison of Alessandro Medici ), and she was at his deathbed ^[4] . According to a not very convincing legend, the side son of Cardinal, Asdrubale Medici (d. 1565), was born by her. It is indicated that Ippolito even wanted to abandon the cardinal's cap and remove the dignity in order to marry Julia and become the Duke of Florence , and that in July he even managed to make her an offer, which she accepted, but his death marked the end of these plans ^[5] . News of the Cardinal reached Julia when she was at Mass in the cathedral, and she instantly went to Itri. Paolo Giovio, who was then in Itri, wrote that death was not so bitter Ippolito, for close was Donna Julia, who treated him "with all her virtuous tenderness."

Naples

Emperor Charles V returned from Tunis to Naples on November 25, 1535. He arrived from Tunisia in Sicily on August 17 and stayed there for 10 weeks to rest. He appointed Ferrante Gonzaga (the son of Isabella d'Este) as vice-king of Sicily. November 25, 1535 the emperor triumphantly entered Naples. There were beautiful ladies - Diane di Cardona, Gowell Coscia, Cornelius Gennar, Lucretia Scallone. But his majesty, in the words of his contemporaries, remained as cold as Tramontana . The emperor expressed a desire to see the famous Countess Fondi. Isabella, who, since her arrival from Abruzzi, had found the courtyard quite boring, decided to accompany Julia. In mid-December, both ladies arrived in Naples, where they were received with great honor.

The beautiful courtyard of the viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo in Naples was hospitable. Julia gladly met many of her old fans and friends - Maria d'Aragona (wife of the Marquis del Vasto, stepson Vittoria Colonna), Giovanna d'Aragona (wife Ascanio Colonna). Both were unhappy in marriage - Maria changed her husband, but she was too proud (“I have no doubt that time, my love and voice of duty will call my husband back to me”). And indeed, after 3 years, he reunited with her, and even somehow made a scene of jealousy at the reception at the Viceroy. Her sister Giovanna was married to Ascanio, who gave all her time to astrology and alchemy, and spent all her fortune on it. There was also Veronica Gambara , who belonged to a group of older women who were distinguished by their beauty and education and were part of the literary circle of Isabella d'Este. Also there was Ferrante and his wife Isabella Capuan, the heiress, whom he married instead of Isabella Colonna, Princess Salerno , Princess Stygnano , poet Maria Cardona, wife Ferrante d'Este, Dionora Sanseverino, Isabella Bresenya and many others.

The emperor used the hands of rich ladies as a reward to his generals. Philip de Lannoy, Prince of Sulmona (son of Charles de Lannoy , hero of the Battle of Pavia, who took the sword from Francis I) was intended for Isabella. The girl had no choice. February 27, 1536 they were married. Unfortunately, property disputes between Julia and Isabella were not finally resolved, and dragged on for many more years. After the wedding, the reservation of her 1st husband's testament worked, and the 5-year-old Vespasiano passed from the custody of his mother to the care of his grandfather Abbe Lodovico, who left his religious solitude and again settled with his mother Antonia in the Gazzuolo Palace to raise a boy.

The following year, Isabella, who had deep disagreements with Julie's father and her father-in-law, Lodovico, and Gianfrancesco "Kanino" Gonzaga's son-in-law about education, which had to be given to the boy, after a short stay in Rivarolo in 1534 decided to return with her son to her own lands . But Lodovik opposed this decision, received an imperial permission, according to which after his death, the child was entrusted to Julia, because Lodoviko appointed her guardian in his will.

According to some instructions, Julia was forced to move from Fondi to Naples to protect him, as Colonna wanted to kill the boy in order to get the fiefs he inherited from his mother, moreover, Isabella had a lawsuit against her stepmother and also had views of Gonzaga's property, since her son remained the last male representative of the branch. (Vespasiano, named after his grandfather, husband of Julia, will become famous in the future as the owner of Sabbioneta, who turned her into an ideal city).

Relatives of her late husband still managed to take away a number of feuds from her, and with this, some attribute her appeal to monastic life ^[6] . In 1536, at the age of 22, she moved to Naples with an intelligent retinue. She chose a monastery at the church of St.. Francesco delle Monaca of the Order of the Carmelites. In December 1535, Julia appealed to Pope Paul III with a letter in which she asked her, “as a worldly person,” to live in the monastery of San Francesco delle Monaca (close to the church of the same name).

"Heretic"

The turning point in Julia’s life came in 1535 when, at the request of her cousin Farrante, she represented the house of Sforza at festivities held in Naples in honor of the emperor returning from Tunisia . During this trip, she again met Juan de Valdez , a member of the spiritualist group alumbrados , who in September of the same year was already her guest in Fondi.

The emperor also had very strong religious feelings and they constantly intersected in the Council at the masses Fra Bernardo Okino, whose services made a strong impression. (A year earlier, when Ipollito Medici was at his ceremony in Rome, she was also very impressed ^[7] . Once after such a service, Julia came out sobbing. She was met by Juan de Valdez, the former chaplain of the pope, now the secretary of the viceroy. Seeing the state of the lady, he walked her home. At home, she asked him about the aspects of speech that she had just listened to. It is believed that this conversation formed the basis of his "Alphabeto Cristiano". At this time, Valdez was known as the author of the curious "Dialogue of Mercury and Charon," published several years before the famous "Lactancio" of his brother Alfonso.

A circle of aristocrats, prelates and intellectuals who studied the Scriptures and sought guidance in their spiritual path was formed around Valdez in Naples. In addition to Julia, Vittoria Colonna , Constanza d'Avalos , Isabella Bressena (daughter-in-law of the Spanish general inquisitor), Bernardino Okino Entered this circle , Marcantonio Flaminio , Galeazzo Caracciolo Marquis Vico, Peter Martir Vermilles , Pietro Antonio di Capua and others ^[2] .

Valdez made her the heroine of her dialogue Alfabeto cristiano , published in Venice in 1546 thanks to her efforts and translated from Spanish into Italian, made by her secretary. The theories of Valdez, which Julia shared, consisted in the rejection of external forms of piety and absolute faith in God, which there is no need to base on a rational analysis of Scripture. In 1541, Valdez died, leaving her heir to his work, and Julia continued his endeavors by establishing contact with the circle that gathered in Viterbo at the house of the English Cardinal Reginald Paul (hiding from Henry VIII ) and was close to the positions of the Reformation. In him after the death of Valdez, they found a new leader, but when in 1558 Paul was ordered to appear in Rome for an Inquisition trial and respond to the charge of heresy, which he did, recognizing himself a Catholic and loyal to the Pope, Julia called it in a letter to Pietro Carnesekka statement "scandalous".

In 1542 Fra Bernardino Okino fled, followed by general confusion among the disciples of Valdez. The loss of her close friends who died and went into exile greatly upset Julia Gonzaga.

Guardian

Vespasiano Gonzaga after the second marriage of his mother moved in early 1536 under the care of his grandfather, Abbot Lodovico Gonzaga. His mother, Madonna Antonia del Balzo, who was 84 years old, happily sheltered her great-grandson, and passed away after 2 years (buried in San Pietro). Lodovico followed her to the grave on June 14, 1540. In his will, he left the custody of Vespasiano to his daughter Julia, since Isabella, having married a second time, lost the right to do so. However, she did not want to give custody of her son and began a fierce battle for him. Both women addressed Pope Paul III , and he did not give an unequivocal answer. The case was finally decided in court, and the magistrate ruled in favor of Countess Fondi. This was greatly facilitated by the influence of Don Ferrante Gonzaga. Julia Gonzaga took custody of her nephew and, being childless herself, became his excellent mother.

When the case was decided in her favor, Julia sent her procurator Messer Marcantonio Magne, to the emperor's court, to confirm for Vespasiano the investiture of his possessions in Lombardy, which was confirmed on September 6, 1541, and Vespasiano was declared heir to all the dominions of her father Luigi and grandfather Lodovico. Having received custody of her nephew in the spring of 1541, Julia left her rooms in the convent of San Francesco, where she spent almost five years, and occupied the castle on Borgo delle Vergina. The boy was almost 10.

For the sake of her nephew, she left solitude and returned to the world of art and literature, who happily welcomed her. In her Neapolitan palace there were poets, musicians, philosophers who resurrected the golden days of " Court " Castiglione , but with a stronger proportion of religious thinkers. She had Annibale Caro , Claudio Tolomei , Platonik Dionigi Atanagi, Il Tansillo, Camillo Kapilupi (son of the famous Benedetto, Ambassador of the Emperor, Governor of Monferrato and Castellan of Casale Citadel). Most of them devoted poems to Julia. It was probably at this time that Titian painted her portrait, which was presented to the legate in Venice, Ippolito Kapilupi (1542).

The young man was destined for a military career and Julia decided to send him as soon as possible to the emperor. A 13-year-old boy received a page at Prince Philip, the son of the emperor, who still remembered his father Luigi Rodamant, and went to Spain.

At this time, homes have already begun to consider suitable brides for Vespasiano. The first candidate was Hippolyta, 3rd daughter of Don Ferrante Gonzaga (born 1535), who was brought to Naples as a child and placed under the care of Julia Gonzaga. (Так же она очень любила маленького сына Ферранте по имени Нини). Но такой брак не отвечал интересам императора.

Пока Веспасиано был в Испании, Джулия решила съездить на родину Ломбардию (1546). Она навестила Гацциоло, который её брат Луиджи оставил своему кузену Карло, сыну Пирро, который женился на Эмилии Бентиволио, сводной сестре Изабеллы д'Эсте. Её встретили с торжествами. Во время её визита у Карло родился сын и она стала крестной матерью маленького Аннибале.

Last years of life

Инквизиция была основана в Риме в 1542 году , а в Неаполе — в мае 1547 года . Вице-король Неаполя дон Педро де Толедо , не посмел опубликовать письмо папы с торжественной помпой, а тайком прибил его на дверь архиепископского дворца, скрывшись в своем замке Поццуоли в ожидании результата. Указ вызвал негодование. Несколько месяцев спустя за этим последовал новый эдикт , подтверждающий предыдущий, в результате чего в городе начался бунт. Вице-король послал за испанскими войсками, горожане же тем временем послали депутацию к императору, который откликнулся на их просьбу, и эдикт в Неаполе был отменен. Этот буйный период в жизни города Джулия по просьбе своих друзей «пересидела» на острове Искья , который был резиденцией дома Колонна.

Когда умер папа Павел III , следующим папой стал кардинал дель Монте под именем Юлий III (7 февраля 1550 ), причем Реджинальд Пол набрал так много голосов, что был вторым, и ему при втором круге голосования не хватило лишь одного голоса. Тиары ему стоили его воззрения на «очищение через веру». Веспасиано же тем временем успешно строил свою карьеру при испанском дворе, пока не был ранен и по настоятельному требованию Джулии он вернулся в Неаполь, где она выхаживала его. Годом раньше она решила опять поселиться в монастырь и получила письмо от Юлия III (28 марта 1550), где ей разрешалось поступить как мирская персона в монастырь Сан Франческо делле Моначе. Но она продолжала сохранять свой дворец в Борго делле Вергине, для своих гостей и слуг. В её дворце две комнаты для Веспасиано всегда были наготове.

Связи её с «еретиками», как и Виттории Колонны, были тесными. Всё это привлекло к ней внимание инквизиции, в частности, вынудив её в 1553 году написать письмо кардиналу Эрколе Гонзага, где она указывает, что не согласна с поздними идеями Вальдеса. Инквизиция начала сбор материалов для судебного разбирательства по обвинению Джулии в ереси, но это не было осуществлено благодаря покровительству её кузенов кардиналов Эрколе и Ферранте Гонзага.

Кардинал Мороне , Приули и другие были арестованы в Риме, в 1558 умер кардинал Поул, умер её друг поэт Франческо Мольца и её бывший секретарь Гандольфо Поррино. Джулия старалась соблюдать осторожность в своей переписке, инквизиция вела прямой надзор за ней и её друзьями. Ей настойчиво советовали тоже эмигрировать, но она отказывалась. Она помогла сбежать своим слугам Вентура и Паоло. Между тем она отговорила бежать Карнесекки. Затем умер папа-инквизитор, и следующим понтификом стал представитель миланской ветви Медичи под именем Пия IV . Он стал контрастом предыдущему во всём. В 1563 два её друга, кардинал Серипандо и Эрколе Гонзага, умирают на Тридентском соборе , а также скончалась Ипполита, герцогиня Мондрагоне (дочь Ферранте Гонзага). В 1565 умер папа, и новый понтифик взял имя Пий V — аскет, суровый инквизитор, который теперь получил возможность искоренять ересь.

Уже после её смерти изучение её переписки с Пьетро Карнесекки в итоге стали поводом к расследованию, которое привело к обвинению его в ереси и сожжению на костре в 1567 году . Почувствовав приближение смерти, она позаботилась о завещании. Она выразила желание быть похороненной в церкви монастыря Сан Франческо делле Моначе, где она прожила так долго. Скончалась 19 апреля 1566 года в возрасте 53 лет. Элегии на её смерть написали Торквато Тассо , Маньифико Серторио Пепе.

Вице-король Неаполя конфисковал её бумаги и отослал папе римскому Пию V , который по прочтении их сказал: «Если б я увидел её живой, я бы сжег её» ^[2] .

в литературе:

• Ариосто , Orlando furioso , XLVI, 8
• Бернардо Тассо , сонет Donna real, la cui beltà infinita
• Франческо Мольца , эклога La ninfa fuggitiva о её бегстве от пирата
• Муцио Джустинополитано «La ninfa fugitiva», посвящена монсиньору Ипполито, кардиналу де Медичи.
• Рафаэль Сабатини упоминает о её бегстве в романе «Меч ислама»: « Вы знаете историю спасения этой знатной дамы, когда её везли верхом на лошади, в одной лишь ночной сорочке, с единственным сопровождающим, которого она в конце концов и убила, вероятно, за то, что он слишком осмелел при виде едва прикрытой неземной красоты ».

в живописи:

• Известно, что Себастьяно дель Пьомбо написал её портрет. Считается, что это картина, в настоящий момент хранящаяся в Лондонской национальной галерее. С него выполнен ряд копий.
• Портрет Тициана, предположительно изображающий её.
• Как и в случае с Витторией Колонной, ряд её изображений был после её смерти уничтожен из-за подозрения Джулии в ереси.

• Andrews, Marian. A princess of the Italian reformation, Giulia Gonzaga, 1513—1566; her family and her friends
• Bruto Amante, Giulia Gonzaga contessa di Fondi e il movimento religioso femminile nel secolo XVI , Bologna, Nicola Zanichelli, 1896.
• Salvatore Caponetto, La Riforma protestante nell'Italia del Cinquecento , Torino, Claudiana, 1997. ISBN 8870161536 .
• Antonio Di Fazio, Giulia Gonzaga e il movimento di riforma, Marina di Minturno, Caramanica, 2003. ISBN 8874250169 .
• Luigi Muccitelli, La contessa di Fondi Giulia Gonzaga (Gazzuolo Mantovano 1513 — Napoli 1566) , Fondi, Lo Spazio, 2002.
• Benedetto Nicolini, Giulia Gonzaga , in Studi Cinquecenteschi: Vol. I , Bologna, Tamari, 1968.
• Mario Oliva, Giulia Gonzaga Colonna: tra Rinascimento e Controriforma, Milano, Mursia, 1985.
• Giuseppe Paladino, Giulia Gonzaga and il movimento valdesiano , Napoli, Tip. Sangiovanni, 1909.

• Works of Juan Valdez