Queen Bona Sforza, Poland, Lithuania, Italy Renaissance Start Price USD 194.90 Current Price USD 194.90 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 224.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, July 03, 2008 End Time Thursday, July 10, 2008 Location European Union See more about 'Queen Bona Sforza, Poland, Lithuania, Italy Renaissance' Description This medal is part of my Polish medals collection       Visit my page with the offers, please. You will find many interesting items related to this subject.     If you are interested in other medals, related to this subject, click here, please. Poland; Rulers  Medieval Motives  Poland; History Olszewska - Borys, Ewa       This huge and heavy plaque has been cast (most probably in XIX cent. to commemorate the Bona Sforza d’Aragona, the Queen of Poland         av. The figure of Bona Sforza, above the coat of arms of Poland and Sforza family     size – 128 mm x 210 mm (5“ x 8¼“) weight –  1100.00 gr, (2 lb, 8 oz) metal –  bronze, nice patina         Bona Sforza Jump to: navigation, search Bona Sforza d'Aragona (February 2, 1494 - November 19, 1557) was a member of the House of Sforza who in 1518 became the second wife of Sigismund I of Poland. When her mother Isabella of Naples died in 1524, Bona succeeded to the titles Duchess of Bari and Princess of Rossano. She also became the holder of the Brienne claim to the title of King of Jerusalem.   Biography Bona was born in Vigevano, daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan and Isabella of Naples.She was also the niece of Bianca Maria Sforza, who in 1493 had married Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. She was named after her grandmother, Bona of Savoy. Bona, niece of the empress, was a patron of Renaissance culture, which thanks to her, began to further flourish in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. She is also considered to have influenced the Polish and Lithuanian cuisines, having introduced many new dishes to the Commonwealth. Upon her husband's death, she sided with many in Catholic Poland in opposing her son King Sigismund II Augustus' marriage to the Lithuanian Calvinist, Barbara Radziwiłł, and was suspected, without evidence, of having poisoned the new queen, who died shortly after her coronation. In 1556, she returned to Bari, Italy. There she was poisoned by her private secretary Gian Lorenzo Pappacoda. Pappacoda was acting on behalf of Philip II of Spain, who wished to avoid repaying his sizable debts to the Polish queen. She was succeeded by her three children. Her only surviving son, Sigismund August Jagellon became the king of Poland. After her brother's death Anna the Jagiellonian, in the second election for the king of Poland she was elected 'king' of Poland, and ruled as a queen of Poland with her elected husband king Stephen Bathory. The title of King of Jerusalem passed to the youngest daughter Catherine Jagellonica, Queen of Sweden who passed it on to her son, also elected King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland. Children Children of Bona Sforza ·        Bona and Sigismund I of Poland had six children: Isabella (18 January 1519 - 15 September 1559), was a Queen of Hungary, wife of John Zápolya, Sigismund Augustus (1 August 1520 - 7 July 1572), was a King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sophia (13 July 1522 - 28 May 1575), was a Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg, wife of Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Anna (18 October 1523 - 9 September 1596), elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, wife of Stefan Batory, Catherine (1 November 1526 - 16 September 1583), was a Queen of Sweden and Grand Duchess of Finland, wife of John III of Sweden, Wojciech Olbracht, born and died 20 September 1527.         Place a Bid!