Ferdinando II de' Medici
Ferdinando II de' Medici (14 July 1610 – 23 May 1670) was grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest son of Cosimo II de' Medici and Maria Maddalena of Austria. He was remembered by his contemporaries as a man of culture and science, actively participating in the Accademia del Cimento, the first scientific society in Italy, formed by his younger brother, Leopoldo de' Medici.[1] His 49-year rule was punctuated by the beginning of Tuscany's long economic decline,[2] which was further exacerbated by his successor, Cosimo III de' Medici. He married Vittoria della Rovere, a first cousin, with whom he had two children who reached adulthood: the aforementioned Cosimo III, and Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro, a cardinal.
Ferdinando II
28 February 1621 – 23 May 1670
14 July 1610
Pitti Palace, Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
23 May 1670 (aged 59)
Pitti Palace, Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
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Your Highness
The family of Ferdinand II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1622-1623), from left to right: Mattias, Gian Carlo, Francesco and the Grand Duke Ferninand with the cross of Saint Etienne; the Duchess-mother Maria Magdalena of Austria, Marie-Christine, Marguerite, Anne and the young Leopold, Musée Ingres Bourdelle.
From his unhappy marriage to Vittoria Della Rovere, Ferdinand II had four children, of which only two reached adulthood:
