some of the brutality of the
Sforzas, through his grandmother Caterina, natural daughter, by the
lovely but dissolute Lucrezia Landriani, of Galeazzo Maria, Duke of
Milan. This prince possessed all the worst points of a Renaissance
tyrant, and was "a monster of vices and virtues": perhaps he was insane,
at all events, Caterina was accustomed to speak of him as "_Uno
Fantastico_!"

There was at least one ray of sunshine in that year of swift, dark
deeds, for, in less than a month after poor little "_La Bia_" had flown
back to Heaven, as lovely and as precious a gift as ever came to gladden
the hearts of young parents was vouchsafed to Cosimo and Eleanora, in
the birth of their first-born, a girl.

In the _Registri dei Battezzati dell' Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore_ is
the following record: "On April 13th, 1540, was baptised a female child
of the Duke of Cosimo, born on the third day of the same month, and she
was registered in the name of Maria Lucrezia." Alas, the joy of that
natal day was marred by the solicitude which the delicacy of the frail
infant caused her father and mother. No one thought she could live, but
Duchess Eleanora was a tender nurse, and her weaning caused the cradle
to rock with hope as well as love.

Just twelve months later a baby brother came to keep little Maria
company, a strong and vigorous boy, dark-haired and sallow like his
Spanish mother. He was christened Francesco, after the patron saint of
his day of birth. Cosimo was not in Florence at the time, he had gone to
pay his respects to the Emperor Charles V. at Genoa.

The object of his visit to the Imperial Court was to thank Charles for
the German bodyguard of _Landesnechte_ which he had sent to Florence to
defend the Medici Palace and its inmates during the three years of
disorder and repression, and to ask for an extension of their services.

Florence was full of Spaniards who had occupied Tuscany in force under
the Commendattore Raimondo da Cardona, and who had helped in the
terrible sack of Prato. They were a menace to peace and order in the
city, and brawls between them and the citizens were of daily occurrence.

Duchess Eleanora perhaps naturally held with her fellow-countrymen,
certainly she made a poor attempt to conceal her dislike for Florence
and its people. At Santa Maria Novella she endowed a chapel for Mass,
which served as a rallying-point for the foreigners, and acquired
thereby its name, _Cappella degli Spagnuoli_.