1. Life
Ippolita Maria Sforza's short life was intertwined with the powerful Sforza and Aragonese dynasties, highlighting the intricate family connections that shaped European nobility in the late 15th century.
1.1. Birth and Family
Ippolita Maria Sforza was born on January 26, 1493. She was the only daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, the Duke of Milan, and Isabella of Naples. Her paternal family, the Sforzas, were the ruling dynasty of the Duchy of Milan, while her maternal lineage connected her to the Aragonese royal family of Naples. She was the niece of Bianca Maria Sforza, who, also in 1493, married Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, further solidifying her family's influential ties across Europe. Ippolita Maria Sforza was named after her maternal grandmother, also named Ippolita Maria Sforza, a renowned humanist and a significant figure in her own right.
1.2. Engagement
Due to her prominent lineage and the political landscape of the Italian states, Ippolita Maria Sforza was engaged to Ferdinand of Aragón, Duke of Calabria. This engagement was a strategic move to strengthen alliances between powerful noble houses, common practice among the European elite during the period. Ferdinand of Aragón, Duke of Calabria, was a member of the royal house of Naples, to which Ippolita's mother, Isabella, also belonged.
1.3. Death
Ippolita Maria Sforza died in 1501, at the young age of eight. The circumstances surrounding her death are not extensively documented.