“Lucretia de’ Medici—­moglie di Alfonso II., Duca di Ferrara”—­and that is all—­as curt and as cruel as possible.  The Duke’s show of grief was as insincere and hypocritical as could be.  He shut himself up in his palace with a few chosen cronies for seven days; meanwhile sending off Bishop Rossetto, a court chaplain, to Florence, to communicate the sad tidings to Duke Cosimo and Duchess Eleanora.

Very soon after the death of Lucrezia the Marchese Creole de’ Contrari, a prominent Ferrarese noble, was cast into prison upon an unstated charge, but it was given out by his jailor, that he had aspired to the hand of an Estensi princess.  He was never seen alive again, for he was strangled in Duke Alfonso’s presence—­who caused his name to be vilely linked with that of the poisoned Duchess!  Cosimo and Eleanora made a show at least of grief, and a splendid Requiem was sung for Lucrezia at the Medici church of San Lorenzo.  At the same time Cosimo made known, in most heartless fashion to Alfonso that, whilst he was resigned to the will of Heaven, he assured him of his sincere affection, and expressed a fervent wish that nothing should loosen their bonds of true and solid friendship!  Devout Duchess Eleanora’s indifference is harder to explain than Duke Cosimo’s nonchalance.  Perhaps in her case evil associations had corrupted good manners, or, more likely, the memory of her child Maria’s terrible death compelled discretion in her dealings with her husband—­“Tyrant of tyrants.”  It might be her turn next to feel that cold steel!

And what about Duke Alfonso?  Well, very soon he forgot all about Lucrezia, and found consolation, though actually he needed none, in a second marriage.  This union, however, led to the resurrection of the hatchet of discord, which Cosimo and Ercole had agreed to bury underground.

The new Duchess was Barbara d’Austria, sister of the Archduchess Giovanna, bride of Don Francesco, poor Lucrezia’s brother.  A double wedding was fixed at Trento in August 1565, but a fracas occurred at the church doors between the Medici and Estensi suites for precedence.  The two princely couples were married separately by the Emperor Maximilian’s command, each in the capital of the bridegroom’s dominions.  Duke Alfonso died in in 1597.

* * * * *

One notable effect of the foreign marriages of the Medicean princes was the settling of aliens, in considerable numbers, in Florence.  With Clarice and Alfonsina d’Orsini had come greedy Roman adventurers; with Margherita and Giovanna d’Austria many enterprising Germans; self-seeking Spaniards came with Eleanora de Toledo.

From one point of view this foreign immigration was advantageous—­it tended to revive the falling fortunes of Florentine commerce.  On the other hand aliens were introduced into prominent positions at the Court and in the city, whose speculations robbed the citizens of their fame and fortune.