Antonio de' Medici

Who was Antonio de' Medici?

Don Antonio de' Medici, the son of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his mistress Bianca Capello, was a minor figure at the Grand Ducal Medici court.

Antonio was born under obscure conditions during the lifetime of Francesco's legitimate consort, who died in childbirth in April 1578. The grand duke secretly married Bianca only two months later, before celebrating a public wedding in 1579, after the official mourning period. The very existence of the infant was not publicly acknowledged until he was almost three years old, but from the moment he was brought into the court, he was raised as the legitimate heir to Tuscany. During his father's lifetime no doubts were raised either of his paternity, or of Francesco's intention that he should succeed him. Francesco legitimated Antonio and in 1584 he obtained implicit approval from Philip II of Spain, who was the overlord of Siena, that the legitimated Antonio was to rule. Francesco's younger brother, had been designated for the Church, rising to the rank of Cardinal.