Eleonora di Garzia di Toledo
Eleonora di Garzia di Toledo or Leonor Álvarez de Toledo Osorio, more often known as "Leonora" or "Dianora", was the daughter of García Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Marquis of Villafranca, Duke of Fernandina. Leonora was born in Florence, where she was brought up by Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his wife Eleanor of Toledo, her aunt and namesake. Betrothed to their son Pietro at the age of 15, she blossomed under the wing of Pietro's older sister, the artistic patron Isabella, into a vivacious and witty beauty. Her marriage, like Isabella's, was not a success, and she followed her mentor's example of taking lovers. For this reason, Pietro had her brought in 1576 to the country retreat of Cafaggiolo, where he strangled her to death with a dog leash. Cosimo's successor, Francesco I, tacitly approved the murder, and Pietro was never brought to justice for it.
Alessandro Allori, Eleonora ('Dianora') di Don Garzia di Toledo di Pietro de'Medici, circa 1571.
Eleonora di Toledo, Duchess of Florence, with her son Giovanni. By Agnolo Bronzino, 1545. The duchess raised her niece and namesake, Leonora, with her own children.
Pietro de' Medici, the youngest and most disturbed of Cosimo I's children. Workshop of Agnolo Bronzino, 1560s.
Isabella de' Medici, Leonora's mentor and confidante, with whom she shared much in common. By Alessandro Allori, early 1560s.
García Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio
García Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, 4th Marquess of Villafranca del Bierzo, was a Spanish general and politician.
The Siege of Malta - Flight of the Ottomans by Matteo Perez d'Aleccio, showing Don García's relief force battling the retreating Ottomans.
