Beatrice d'Este

Beatrice d'Este was a noblewoman from Ferrara, duchess of Bari and Milan by her marriage to Ludovico Sforza. She was known as a woman of culture, an important patron of arts and science and a leader in fashion: alongside her husband, she made Milan one of the greatest capitals of the European Renaissance. With her determination and bellicose nature, she led the Milanese resistance against the French during the first of the Italian Wars. Her interventions repelled the Duke of Orléans who was on the verge of conquering Milan.