Francesco I de’ Medici

Francesco I de' Medici was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1574 until his death in 1587. His rule combined Medici court politics, scientific and artistic patronage and a controversial relationship with Bianca Cappello, whom he later married.

Francesco succeeded Cosimo I as grand duke of Tuscany in 1574 and devoted considerable attention to science, collecting and the Medici workshops as well as government. His long relationship with Bianca Cappello culminated in marriage after the deaths of their previous spouses; both died at Poggio a Caiano in 1587.

In Robert Elegant’s Bianca, Bianca Cappello refuses the passive future expected of a young Venetian noblewoman and becomes entangled with Francesco de’ Medici, heir and later Grand Duke of Tuscany.