Francesco III of Fidenza

Francesco III Edmondo (3rd August 1521 - 2nd November 1576), known as the Magnificent, was King of Fidenza and Milan from the death of his cousin, King Filippo II, until his own death in 1576. Francesco III is remembered as a monarch of great skill and cunning and is remembered today as one of the greatest Fidenzan monarchs. He is also acclaimed for rebuilding the wealth of Fidenza after the massively dividing turmoil between 1545 and 1553.

Born to a younger brother of King Cosimo I, Francesco was not originally expected to inherit the throne. Upon the death of the sickly and childless Filippo II, however, he was the nearest male relative and inherited the Fidenzan throne after a brief succession dispute. He was a great proponent of art and culture, further pushing for more Fidenzan cultural advancement, with high renaissance art and fashion reaching its apex during Francesco III's reign.

Birth
Francesco III's birth was shrouded in mystery, rumour and controversy. His legal mother, Antoinette de la Tour d'Auvergne, had not been seen for several months. She was supposedly residing at Parma during her pregnancy (or so Prince Donato said), though the strange movements and activities of Queen Isabella II were noted. The Queen rarely appeared in public around this time too and when she did she would often appear behind a table or wearing large gowns. Some rumoured that she was pregnant and attempting to hide the pregnancy.

The Queen made a private visit to Parma in late July of 1521, where she stayed until August 7th, meaning she would have been in Parma when Francesco was born. The nature of her visit remains unknown, as she travelled alone and refused to allow others to come with her, aside from her guards. Witnesses to the events at Parma were confused at the strange movements of everyone there, with the Duchess remaining in her chamber the entire visit. The Queen also rarely appeared out of her given chamber. It is rumoured there, that under vows of secrecy, Francesco was delivered by Queen Isabella. His birth was announced as a son being born to Prince Donato and Antoinette de la Tour d'Auvergne, with the Duchess legally becoming his mother. Rumours did not persist, though in modern times the parentage of Francesco III is commented on by scholars and historians.

Early Life
Francesco Edmondo was not expected to inherit anything from birth. From birth he was simply a scion of the House of Visconti, his branch of the family was not even on the throne. The throne at the time of Francesco's birth was occupied by Queen Isabella II, who was childless and unmarried. This left the Milanese throne in dispute upon Isabella's assassination in 1523, which led to Francesco's uncle Cosimo I succeeding to the throne. He received a heightened status as a nephew of the King, despite the animosity between King Cosimo and Prince Donato.

In his early years, Francesco resided at the now demolished Palazzo di Parma, a home which had been granted to Francesco's father by Queen Isabella.

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