Bona Sforza
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Bona Sforza (born February 2, 1494 - November 19, 1557) was a queen of Poland and a second wife of Sigismund I of Poland since 1518.
When her mother died 1524, she, the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, succeeded also as Duchess of Bari and Princess of Rossano. And she became the holder of the Brienne claim to the title of King of Jerusalem.
Bona was born in Vigevano, the daughter of Gian Galeazzo Sforza of Milan and niece of Bianca Maria Sforza, who in 1493 had married Maximilian I. Bona, the niece of the empress, was a patron of Renaissance culture, which began to flourish in Poland. She is also considered one of the mothers of modern Polish cuisine since she became famous for introduction of Italian vegetables to Polish tables.
Her parents were Gian Galeazzo II Sforza, Duke of Milan, and Isabella di Aragona, Princess of Naples and Duchess of Bari. Her maternal grandparents were Hippolyte Mary Sforza of Milan and Alfonso II of Naples, and her paternal grandparents Bona of Savoy and Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. Her great-grandparents were:
- Bianca Maria Visconti of Milan, born Princess of Milan and marriage Duchess of Milan
- Francesco Alessandro Sforza, Duke of Milan; these were her great-grandparents twice over
- Isabella di Chiaramonte (Isabella of Taranto), a heiress of Kingdom of Jerusalem
- Ferrante di Aragona, king of Naples
- Anne de Lusignan, Princess of Cyprus, a heiress of Kingdom of Jerusalem
- Louis, 1st Duke of Savoy
She was named after her grandmother, Bona of Savoy.
She died in Bari, Italy. Her heir was her only surviving son, Sigismund August Jagellon, King of Poland.