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| Della Rovere | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Duchy of Urbino Papal States |
| Place of origin | Savona,Republic of Genoa |
| Founded | 14th century |
| Founder | Leonardo Beltramo della Rovere [it] |
| Final head | Vittoria della Rovere, died 1694 |
| Titles | |
| Motto | Audentes Fortuna iuvat |
| Estates | |
TheHouse of Della Rovere (pronounced[dellaˈroːvere]; literally "of the oak tree") was a powerfulItalian noble family. It had humble origins inSavona, inLiguria, and acquired power and influence throughnepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere popes: Francesco Della Rovere, who ruled asSixtus IV from 1471 to 1484 and his nephew Giuliano, who becameJulius II in 1503.[1] Sixtus IV built theSistine Chapel, which was named after him. Julius II was patron toMichelangelo,Raphael and many otherRenaissance artists and started the modern rebuilt ofSt. Peter's Basilica. Also theBasilica ofSan Pietro in Vincoli in Rome was the family church of the Della Rovere.[citation needed] Members of the family were influential in theChurch of Rome, and asdukes of Urbino,dukes of Sora and lords ofSenigallia; the title of Urbino was extinguished with the death ofFrancesco Maria II in 1631, and the family died out with the death of his granddaughterVittoria,Grand Duchess of Tuscany.[1]
Francesco Della Rovere was born into a poor family inLiguria in north-west Italy in 1414, the son of Leonardo della Rovere ofSavona.[1] AFranciscan who became Minister General of his order, then cardinal, he had a reputation for unworldliness until he was elected pope in 1471. As Sixtus IV he was both wealthy and powerful, and at once set about giving power and wealth to his nephews of the Della Rovere andRiario families. Within months of his election, he had madeGiuliano della Rovere (the future pope Julius II) andPietro Riario bothcardinals andbishops; four other nephews were also made cardinals.[2]: 252 [3]: 128 He madeGiovanni Della Rovere, who was not a priest,prefect of Rome, and arranged for him to marry into theda Montefeltro family,dukes of Urbino. Sixtus claimed descent from a noble Della Rovere family, the counts ofVinovo inPiemonte, and adopted theircoat-of-arms.[4]
Guidobaldo da Montefeltro adoptedFrancesco Maria I della Rovere, his sister's child and nephew ofPope Julius II. Guidobaldo I, who was heirless, called Francesco Maria at his court, and named him as heir of theDuchy of Urbino in 1504, this through the intercession of Julius II. In 1508, Francesco Maria inherited the duchy thereby starting the line of Rovere Dukes of Urbino. That dynasty ended in 1626 whenPope Urban VIII incorporated Urbino into thepapal dominions. As compensation to the last sovereign duke, the title only could be continued byFrancesco Maria II, and after his death by his heir,Federico Ubaldo.
Vittoria, last descendant of the della Rovere family (she was the only child of Federico Ubaldo), marriedFerdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. They had two children:Cosimo III, Tuscany's longest reigning monarch, andFrancesco Maria de' Medici, aprince of the Church.
Among the many people who did not belong to this family, but bore the same name, are:
and various artists, including:
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_-_Portrait_of_Guidobaldo_II_della_Rovere%2c_Duke_of_Urbino_-_1956.7.1_-_Yale_University_Art_Gallery.jpg)
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