In 1737 without heirs died Gian Gastone, the seventh Grand Duke of Tuscany
Gian Gastone Medici is the seventh and last Grand Duke of one of the most influential dynasties in Europe. However, he preferred men to women and left no heir when he died in 1737 in Florence. This puts an end to the Medici, who for centuries
mark
art,
culture and
finances of
whole Europe
Men who like men were not new to the famous dynasty. Ferdinando II Medici, for example, secluded himself with his pets without worry, even in front of his wife Vitoria della Rovere.
The problem, however, came when their son Cosimo III Medici (1642 -1723), although he had two male heirs from his wife Marguerite Louise of Orleans, failed to get them to secure the genetic continuation of the dynasty.
Neither Ferdinando, born in 1663, nor Gian Gastone, born in 1671, left sons. Cosimo’s eldest son, Ferdinando, died prematurely in 1713, before he became Grand Duke. Although she married Violanta Beatrix of Bavaria, their marriage did not give birth to children, as Ferdinando
bears the damage
of spent
syphilis,
and he is also bisexual.
Thus Cosimo III placed his last hopes for a male successor to the dynasty of his second son – Gian Gastone. But he had a very difficult childhood, given that his mother Marguerite Louise of Orleans left him when he was 4 years old, and with him his father, and returned to France. That’s why Gian Gastone grew up with his grandmother Vitoria.
However, the boy has excellent educators who teach him in foreign languages, music, philosophy and mathematics. Gian Gastone speaks Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, German and English.
His father and sister Anna Maria Louisa chose him as a wife, guided by considerations for a dignified continuation of the Medici dynasty. The two stop at Anna Maria Francisca, daughter of the Duke of Saxony. She is the widow of Philipp Wilhelm August von Pfalz.
Gian Gastone is a sophisticated man of art, he loves music and philosophy,
he is quiet and
peaceful, a
his wife
is a cool girl with
vulgar taste,
who loves horses and country life. Although mentally the two are light years away, Gian Gastone is forced to leave Florence and go against his will to his chosen wife.
In 1723, after the death of his father, he officially received the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, he is not a man with a firm hand who can rule, but rather a man who is ruled because of his many weaknesses and passions to which he is subject. On top of that, he becomes a prisoner of alcohol, trying to drown his melancholy in it. His only outlets among the people are his sister Anna Maria Louisa, who replaces his mother’s love, and his uncle, Cardinal Francesco Maria Medici.
However, Gian Gastone’s most important passion is called Giuliano Dami, a servant and son of a Tuscan peasant. Giuliano first becomes his lover, and then the man who satisfies all his whims. They are mostly related to finding
guys for
against payment
Due to the huge differences between them, Gian Gastone and his wife separated quite quickly. She never wants to move to Florence and instead prefers to watch horses in Bohemia, talk to them, go hunting, and on top of that she is hysterical and capricious.
Gian Gastone, on the other hand, has a soft and gentle character and does not hide his homosexuality. So at one point the cohabitation between the two becomes impossible and Jan decides to leave. Before returning to Florence, however, he decided to tour Europe, performing as a prince from Siena. Thus he was accepted even by Louis XIV, who was struck by his character. Gian Gastone is also dating his mother, Marguerite Louise of Orleans, who abandoned him when he was four years old. The meeting is formal and cool.
When Cosimo III learns that his son has left his wife to travel around Europe and see his mother, he goes mad with rage. He orders him to return to his wife. Gian Gastone does it, but he doesn’t stay with her very much, he always tries to jump back to Prague, where he indulges in carnal pleasures with men and alcohol. Giuliano Dami is always with him.
In 1708, Gian Gastone returned to Florence for good. He lives in Palazzo Pitti, the residence of the Medici, but leads a life cut off from the worldly noise. Instead, he prefers to read scholarly writings related to botany, or to collect antiques. The main activity of his days, however, was drinking huge amounts of alcohol and participating in erotic games organized by the faithful Giuliano Dami.
Cosimo III is desperate to see that Gian Gastone will not provide the desired and necessary heir to the dynasty. Try the impossible –
“Card” cardinal
Francesco Maria
Medici and go
forces
to get married
in 1709 for the young Princess Eleanor Louise Gonzaga. And this time, however, he hits a rock.
Marriage is never consummated because the 17-year-old bride is disgusted to lie down next to her fat husband, who also shows absolutely no interest in married life.
On top of that, he died two years later, and with it the last glimmer of hope for a male heir to the Medici. In 1713, Francesco, the first son of Cosimo III, passed away prematurely and seriously ill. The next day, Gian Gastone automatically became heir to the throne. Knowing the situation with him, the main powers in Europe began to grind their teeth over who would seize control of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany after his death.
Gian Gastone Medici himself died on July 9, 1737 in Florence and was buried without special honors in the family tomb, behind the altar of the crypt and away from the relics of the more important Medici. His sister Anna Maria Louisa, whom he hated in the last period of his life for choosing his hated wife, became the author of something very important for Florence. She invents the so-called a family pact according to which all the goods of the Medici family, connected with art and culture,
they can never
in the future
to leave
Florence
Thus, the city is saved by the enormous cultural wealth of the Medici, collected over centuries. In 1743, Anna Maria Luisa Medici herself died, who was practically the last heiress of this dynasty.
After the death of Gian Gastone, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was inherited by Franz Stefan of Lorraine, who later became Kaiser Franz I. He was elected by the European great powers. Thus Tuscany became part of the Habsburg dominions, and the Duchy of Franz Stefan became part of France.
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