#like is Francesca going to have John's baby after he dies? because Francesca would never even consider marriage or find love again if she

[alicentsaegon]

They actually took the BEST male love interest in all of the Bridgerton universe and made him into a woman destroying both his and Francesca's characters and arcs going forward.... Like I'm sorry but the gender roles Michael and Francesca have are integral to their story... The infertility, Michael inheriting all of John's estate and title.....

[dreamingincanolafields]

Ok Y’all

I don’t know how the Michael/Michaela Genderswap is going on here but I was discussing it with my mom and wanted to see if everyone else shares a similar idea to us about Frannie’s season of the show as it relates to Michaela and her storyline during her siblings seasons that will respect both love stories and the topics discussed.

These are of course just my opinions. This is wordy and I wrote this after binging the whole season it’s 2 am so please bear with me.

TW: infertility, discussions and mentions of loss of spouse and pregnancy

Season 4 (Benedict)

It’s been a year so Francesca and John are delivering a happy Eloise (who has in fact seen past Aubrey hall and for other reasons 😉) home to the ton for the Bridgerton Family Masquerade ball (hosted by both the Viscountess and Dowager Vicountess)

Francesca seems off in the crowds, more so than she did during her season the previous year.

Ofc, Violet picks up on it and is so distracted by it she doesn’t notice her son leave the ballroom with an extra guest (iykyk)

We see Lady Danbury and her brother getting along and jesting with each other.

Violet learns of Frannie’s and John’s struggles with conceiving (whether it be it not happening or the pain of a loss) and supports them both with kind words and items of knowledge she has heard from the other mamas after many a conversation and the information is asked for (we love a respectful queen)

We see Michaela and her personality longer that 2 seconds☺️

Throughout the season we watch Eloise grabbing letters from Sophie (if they keep the Cinderella storyline) and rushing off to her room (from a Phillip who hopes for a love match after figuring out Eloise’s personality because our girl deserves a love match and those kids deserve a support system after what would be the passing of Marina)

We see Frannie and John return to Kilmartin House and try — Michaela offering a shoulder of support to Frannie as she tries to remain hopeful—

Sophie and Benedict’s plot goes on

As they are in town for Ben and Sophie’s small ceremony, we see a happy Frannie and John who quietly tell Violet they are expecting a baby (can be now or the next season maybe not yet?)

Sophie and Benedict go to My Cottage

Season 5 (Eloise)

Eloise gets a letter from Phillip (and we learn that she met a widowed Phillip while he was conducting research on the Kilmartin property and begins correspondence) inviting her for a visit. She goes to Pen and confesses to her about the written courtship

Eloise and Penelope visit Phillip because our girl is not being forced into marriage (and hopefully My Cottage exists in the TVverse)

Violet and Lady Danbury support one another and discuss as they have never experienced a written courtship before and they don’t understand it

Francesca is in town for the season with a beautiful baby boy or girl, John of course has a seat at parliament and needs to be there. Michaela always has a spot in the Kilmartin house so she has came down as well.

We still get the “tell me something wicked” portion as Michaela has revealed her secret to Frannie (plus we get to keep Frannie’s curiosity 😉)

We see Eloise and Phillip ACTUALLY get to know one another and we get to see an actual courtship and the kids warm up to Eloise (Pranks of course will ensue)

Eloise and Phillip marry happily

We see John and Francesca at home, he’s complaining of a headache. Frannie and Michaela have him go lay down before their nightly walk and gossip

Eloise and Phillip do their thing (I mean this is about Frannie but I feel this is how the show should be and I can’t stop myself)

JOHN DIES OFF SCREEN — for the love of everything that is good and holy I can’t watch our babies suffer like the scene in the book. Maybe we see Violet get an urgent message and rush to Francesca’s side.

Season Six (Francesca)

It’s been a month since John passed, a pregnant Francesca is keeping everything together with help from Michaela as her son John Jr (or smth) is too young to take over the title just yet.

Both are in mourning. We see Michaela go through her feelings for both the man she considers her brother and the feelings she has for his wife.

We watch Francesca and her bad luck with rain constantly going on walks.

We see Michaela watch her love and friend suffer with the loss of everything she knew.

We see our girls grieve together and get even closer

Michaela is forced to return to her mother (as a woman can’t travel has been a big pointed issue in the last few seasons) so we can give Francesca and Michaela time to make sure they have somewhat healed because our girls deserve a good start

By the time Michaela is able to return time has passed and the letters passed back and forth have not been frequent or consistent so we have some initial awkwardness

We have baby Janet Stirling

Hyacinth is making her debut so Frannie and the kids are in town to support her, Kate, and Violet — we get sister supporting sister and making sure they stay sane

Ofc Hyacinth is spending time with lady Danbury too

We watch our girls fall in love with each other

We see Francesca confess to her mother that she doesn’t want to remarry and is finding comfort with her love

We see Violet be confused only due to the era and its normally kept secret but she accepts that her daughter is happy, supporting them as a couple

We see the girls be guilty like they do in the book but both come to terms that John would be happy that 2 of the people he loves most in this world are happy with each other.

We see hints of Hyacinths love interest through lady Danbury (because we still need that plot point in our lives a Danbury/Bridgerton Family Merger) and all of our Wed bridgerton siblings in the countryside with all the cousins playing happily.

Auntie Michaela is great with all the kids

We see Francesca happy knowing she has had 2 great romances in her life and a wonderful family.

WE STILL GET “Thank you Michaela for letting my son love her first”

In Conclusion

All of this is to say we can stay true to Francesca’s love for John and have our Michaela and Frannie’s storyline with their love too.

We can still have the infertility storyline whether it be immediate, loss, or secondary the writers can make sure that it is respected and brought in respectfully while keeping the regency theme

Y’know I want to see Eloise’s story tweaked (I have strong feelings about her getting a fair love story)

While we can’t have the Michael imposter syndrome portion we can still see a love story worthy of a Julia Quinn novel

TLDR: Just because it’s different doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to be good. I have faith that the writers will make sure these characters and their stories different or same are done respectfully.

[atlafan]

Here’s what else I’m pissed about because now they’re going to have to change Francesca’s story completely.

Okay, so in her book, John dies. She thinks she may be with child. She finds out she isn’t, so Michael goes to India because he feels guilty for John’s death because he loves Francesca and has LOVED Francesca for years.

Two years go by, and Francesca is like okay I’m done mourning, I want to try having kids with someone, and re-enters the marriage mart. She’s a hot commodity because everyone knows she’s not a virgin, so a ton of men go after her. She was also basically running the estate while Michael was gone.

Francesca had fertility trouble. It’s such a real thing that happens, and I connected with her so much for this. Watching your siblings continue to have babies and grow their families while you can’t is one of the hardest things to go through. Being ready to be a mother and not knowing if it’s ever going to happen is a horrible pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

So, now they’re just going to skip all that because in order for the Killmartin estate to stay as it is, they’ll need an heir. And since Micaela is a woman, the estate can’t be given to her. So, that means Francesca is either going to be pregnant with a boy, or will have already have had a son by the time John dies. And now what? The girls are going to bond while they raise the baby together? That’s almost insulting. Like oh these girls are going to fall in love because of maternal instincts???

Michael yearned for Frannie for years. Are we going to get that with Micaela? Because the way the show just set it up, it looks like Francesca is going to be the one yearning. And that’s fine, but I hate the storyline of, “oh I’ve been gay this whole time and I guess I never really loved the person I married”. It’s been done, and that’s not fair to John. I understand that in those days it obviously would’ve taken a person a little bit longer to realize they may not be straight, and that’s fine. But I think it’s going to negate all of the love John and Francesca had.

In the book, both she and Michael fought so hard against their feelings because they both felt guilty about John. But eventually, Michael helped Francesca realize she didn’t need to feel guilty. And she finally went to John’s grave and talked with him and she knew deep in her heart that he would want her to be happy. Michael would make her happy. And Michael is right by her side with all of the fertility struggles. He’s even open to adoption! Most men of his status wouldn’t be.

And I feel bad for even complaining because the representation absolutely matters. It’s a huge win for the community. If I hadn’t read the book and been so attached to tue characters, I’d probably be excited about this change. But I’m just disappointed because I wanted so badly to see Michael on screen, truly being pained by how much he loved her. And I wanted to hear his deep voice say all of the wicked things to her that he does in the book.

Ugh!!

[sea-owl]

I like these AUs, I'm wondering about an elopement au for the siblings. I mean Anthony is easy because in the show he was ready to run off with Kate after the not-wedding. All he needed was a signal from Kate and he'd fetch the horses and off they go to Greta Green.

For Benedict, I mean, maybe he would also do that but maybe he can abroad. Like he is traveling the continent or in America and meets Sophie (who managed to escape Araminta now and supporting herself). Maybe he's studying art, he meets Sophie, falls hard and they get married. (Maybe he found an art school that took him on without Anthony intervening, and Sophie is a maid or even a model?) Benedict returns to Aubrey Hall with Sophie in tow.

Daphne plans to elope with Simon but she ends up inviting the whole family, so it's more of a destination wedding.

Colin? More of a quick wedding than a long honeymoon, because he wants to show Penelope everything and also it's safer for them to be out of the country for a while. For reasons.

Eloise basically ran off to meet Phillip for a blind date, so if she's inclined, she would totally drag him and the twins for a quick trip to Scotland.

Francesca and Michael technically eloped in the book, if I remember correctly. So I'm not sure how much more dramatic I could make it.

I could see Gareth's dad continue being the worst, tries to stop the wedding so Hyacinth decides that she should visit Francesca and Michael. Gareth is coming. In the middle of the night. Right now Gareth, she packed her bags.

And of course, nothing can top what Gregory did in his and Lucy's book. Like, if they eloped, that would have been the saner option.

And the Ton rests easy because the Bridgertons are now happily married and will never disrupt things again - and oh god, they have children now. God help us, London won't survive.

Dear god all the Bridgertons eloping would be like another Tuesday for the ton and poor Violet just wants to see each of her babies get married. Can none of her children just give her that?! Francesca automatically becomes the favorite when her wedding to John is the one wedding Violet actually gets to plan and participate in. She loses that title and becomes part of her degenerate siblings when she elopes with Michael.

But the thing is all the siblings are just waiting on the signal from their loves and then they're off to Getna Green, or going on a long vacation to return home with a spouse.

Violet was tearing her hair when for almost four years straight she had to deal with one elopement after another. Then Francesca does it right so she has some hope. That hoped died in 1824 when not one, not two, but three of her children eloped with in a month of each other! One of them being Francesca! Violet is ready to strangle all three but they use their new spouses as shields, cowards.

Violet puts her foot down with Hyacinth and says if she's eloping then Violet will be there to witness it. She already has a bag packed too.

Then comes 1827 where Violet is almost begging Gregory to go elope with Lucy. It is better than the mess he has created so far. Lucy darling please say yes, the ton won't even blink at another Bridgerton elopement.

Violet tells all her children that she hopes their children will be just like them.

[mermaidsirennikita]

So I know you’re not watching that show anymore but they recently came out with an article about a possible lgbt storyline later. What would you think about a genderbent Michael?

I think based on things that I've heard that

a) that's the most likely thing to happen if that show has a queer Bton (as in, a member of the Bton family)... like.... if I had to bet $$$ RIGHT NOW, that's what I'd say is gonna happen

b) I fully support it

I think that back when the "omg should a Bton be gay" wars were going on when I watched that show, I said that I was down with any one of them being queer, and I stand by that. And I mean... I think that ANY person who's read that show should realize by now: no matter what they do with "your" couple.... the chances of them really adapting the book closely in any way are out the door post s1. S1 was surprisingly close to the book, tbh. S2 significantly less so, and s3 even less, it appears. So like. Even if they adapted WHWW, which is my favorite book in the series... the chances of it being like the book I enjoyed at all are pretty low. With that logic in mind--like, you might as well give any Bton an entirely new love interest. Because if we're being fuckin' real. The Kate from the show doesn't have a lot of deep things in common with the Kate from the books if we never get into the deep things that affected the Kate from the books. Doesn't mean that she isn't a lovable character; she's just not the same, so if you're not gonna quibble with that, why would you quibble with genderbending?

Like. The Kate from the books had an entire traumatic backstory we never got into because the show.... sucks.

The Penelope from the books never ruined an unwed pregnant woman's life because she was jealous about Colin and his interests.

When the text is that different from the adaptation, you might as well genderbend whoever you want. A random guy named Peter who moonlights as Lord Whistledown has about as much in common with book!Penelope as show!Penelope does.

I say that as someone who like... yeah. I do love book!Michael. I actually really like his book, which is saying something as I'm either "meh" on or dislike 6/8 of those books lmao. I DO NOT REMEMBER what happens in books 7-8. Especially book 8. And that doesn't mean they're bad, it just means that those books by and large made little impact on me, and WHWW sticking out does matter. If I thought this show would actually give WHWW a good adaptation, then maybe I'd be like "aww, I wish I got book!Michael". But I ain't gonna get him either way, so do something cool with it and make it wlw if you want.

Do I think the show will do anything cool with a wlw storyline? lol no because the show is kinda rancid, you know?

So the thing about flipping Michael into a female character is that I don't even think you can call it "WHWW but genderbent". Because that storyline can't be genderbent and be that storyline. Michael's guilt isn't only built in him wanting Francesca when John was alive. It's also built in him inheriting John's title, something women in this show's universe can't do. He's "becoming" John in his mind. (He was also a rake, which I think is also difficult for a woman to be in this universe, but much more plausible.) Francesca's plot drivers also surround her infertility and her desire for children--Michael is very conscious of that, and is basically like "so what the fuck, are you only gonna marry me after I get you pregnant?" Francesca can excuse fucking him out of wedlock because it's like "let's see if he gets me pregnant, and if he does, I mUST marry him, oH NOOOOOOES". Francesca marrying Michael without knowing that she's pregnant with his baby is Francesca making a decision she has avoided making throughout the back half of that novel.

If Francesca's husband dies and she's left a wealthy widow... she can just be with his female cousin, tbh. Like. ON THE LOW. But that shit happened and it was much easier for a widow to be with her female partner as "companions" than it would be for a woman who was never married, right? The central tension of Francesca having to choose to be PUBLICLY with someone the way she'd have to be with Michael is gone, because according to the show's own logic, she can only be with a woman on the low. And that's an interesting story in itself, it's just not the same and it doesn't present the same emotional conflicts.

I say all this to argue that if they do that, they're not so much adapting WHWW as they are replacing it. And if people have a problem with that... Like, dude. It's whatever. They weren't gonna give you the WHWW you wanted anyway. I'm sure many will be up in arms.

And like, as someone who's always been pro "put Benedict with a man" (and I still am) I'll totally acknowledge that Sophie's story is dependent on her being a woman. Genderbending Sophie would change her story to an unrecognizable degree, the same way genderbending Michael's would/will his. But like. I think Benedict's book is shitty, and I think WHWW is not shitty. So to me, it always made sense to just totally change the bad book.

I know people are gonna hate that I just said "go ahead and change it because I think it's bad" but. That's my truth lmao. I have no great logical leap over why I would genderbend An Offer From a Gentleman over When He Was Wicked (if I had to choose) aside from "change the book that sucks, keep the book that is good overall the same with some changes because did Michael have to go to India and did we have to talk about an Indian princess being obsessed with him I think not Julia Quinn".

My IDEAL queer Bton would be Eloise because I think that.... not only does she read as a lesbian to me on the show............ her book is like, the worst, and it could actually be genderflipped while retaining its core, unlike Benedict's book or Francesca's. If SP was a widow with two kids and Eloise went to visit this widow friend and fell in love and they stayed in the country.... I mean, it's still different, but I don't think SP's character arc is necessarily as rooted in gender as Sophie's and Michael's are.

And there's a cynical part of me that says that if they do go with Francesca being queer, it's because they know they're gambling on whether or not they'll get renewed beyond s4, and they're making the Queer Bton the one who's kinda new to the audience and will have a b-plot for s3-s4 versus someone the audience knows, who may have a main love story, like Benedict or Eloise. Like. I see this show giving us a sapphic love story in the background for two seasons and being like "GIVE US OUR FLOWERS". I don't see them centering a sapphic love story as a season-leading romance. Dude, I can barely find a good historical romance novel that centers sapphic women lol.

ALL THAT BEING SAID. I support a queer Francesca. I support any queer Bton. Do I think the (online) fandom will? Meh. Do I think they should just get over this idea that the show is adapting their favorites like they would the books anyway? Yes for sure. THIS IS ALL A DIFFERENT THING. It being a different thing isn't why I'm over it, tbh; it being a bad different thing is the issue.

[leah-halliwell92]

Rock is Also a Classic

Summary: Francesca “Frankie” Walker, 29, marine biologist and musical virgin was raised in a borderline fanatically religious family. Which has its downsides, one of them being what music you can listen to. So having been raised mainly on classical music and music provided by your parents (i.e. music worship) made it hard for her to connect to people her own age. Now that she’s older she has the chance to do what she’s always wanted...be free.

Chapter 1

“Come on Frankie,” Mara your colleague and friend said she took off the wet suit after they’d fed the sting rays.

“Fine I’ll go,” She said with a laugh, “Who are you going to see anyway?” 

Mara seemed to bounce where she sat on the edge of the tank and stood picking her suit as she stood before saying, “We are going to see her majesty Queen!”

“The queen?” Frankie said not believing who they were going to see.

“Not the queen as in the Queen of England,” Mara said knowing why her friend was so skeptical. 

They had grown up in similarly sheltered homes so knew it would take a bit of a crash corse to teach her about who Queen are and everything in between. Not to mention teaching her of the glory that is Freddie Fucking Mercury.

“They are a band called Queen,” Mara clarified as Frankie stood and picked up her own wet suit, “They are a band from the 70′s that changed the corse of music as we know it.”

“You’re going to take me to see four old men–”

“Um...here’s the thing,” Mara said as they made their way to the locker rooms and change, “Freddie, the lead of the band died in 1991 due to AIDS. Fred was unique and as pop culture goes if a band has one outstanding attribute then...”

“The other pieces that make the whole mean nothing,” she said understanding where this is going as they changed into the aquarium uniform before making their way to their lunch break.

“Roger Taylor, the band’s drummer, and Brian May, the band’s guitarist are the only ones active; that have been active since Freddie’s passing since John their bassist decided to retire after the tribute to Freddie a year or so later,” Mara said.

“That’s sad,” Frankie said as they made their way to grab some food.

Mara nodded and said, “But hey, they found Adam Lambert through AI!”

“Wait...You mean to tell me they found a contender to fill in for Freddie?” Frankie asked.

Mara nodded and excitedly said, “What I like most about it is that he has stated on more than one occasion that he is not trying to replace Freddie. It’s why the show is called Queen and/with Adam Lambert.”

Frankie laughed at her friend’s antics and dug into her lunch before asking, “When’s the concert then?”

Mara played the innocent angel as she said, “Tomorrow night.”

Frankie nearly did a spit take coughing as the too short notice day was said.

“Mar, you know I don’t have the same days off as you! Besides, where on God’s green Earth are you going to get tickets for what I’m sure is a sold out show?” She asked exasperatedly.

“Calm down Frank! The boss said you’ve been working over time for the past few months and told me to tell you to go talk to her about it,” Mara said completely at ease, “She told me to tell you when I requested the day after tomorrow off.”

Frankie sighed and dropped her head on her hands at this. 

“Frank...you know the boss is right,” Mara said soothingly.

“I know, but this is what happens when my mom’s idea of a visit is to barge into my apartment on my day off, demand I be a good hostess and tend to her and take with the grace of a nun shot after shot about why I shouldn’t have move away and married Josh from across the hall,” Frankie let out frustratedly, “I can still hear her, ‘He’s such a nice boy Francesca! You’d adore him as much as he has you!’”

“As much as he has!?” Mara said eyes wide in shock, “What in the hell did she mean by that?”

“Apparently he’s had a crush on me since forever,” Frankie said, “She insists there is still time for me to kick this “phase” I’m in, move back in and become the wife the Good Lord meant for me to be.”

“That’s bullshit,” Mara said.

“I know,” Frankie said taking a drink from her coke, “I’m tempted to transfer just so that I can make it harder for her to visit. Not even my dad is this stringent anymore!”

“Last you said, hadn’t he raved about Star Wars?” Mara asked after swallowing her bite of food.

“Yep, over and over he went on and on about how he could and should have been more lenient with us growing up,” Frankie said with a sigh, “How having things to decompress and/or relax with is just as important as having your faith.”

“Better late than never though right?” Mara asked as she finished the last of her food.

Frankie shrugged and said, “Yea but now it’s like he’s fighting against the tide because out of both my parents my dad is the only one who wants me to not only see the world but live it and be a part of it as well. I mean before he was about finding my way in life and all that. But now its about how important it is for me to be as independent as I can be.”

“And you mom doesn’t agree?” Mara asked curiously.

“Mom’s half Italian-ness shows here. She’s from the country side and was raised in the fully loaded traditional side of things where man is the bread winner and woman is she who tends to children and home,” Frankie said with a sigh before adding, “Dad spent some time out in the world when he was a young man and learned that balance is the second most important thing in life besides your faith. It’s why he fought my mom so much when my brother and I were growing up. Part of the reason why Vince is a hard ass every time mom brings up dating for either of us.”

The pair finished their lunch and continued on with their work day with ease. 

Near the end of her shift, Frankie did as Mara asked and went to see their boss.

“You wanted to see me?” She said after knocking on the office door.

“Yes come in,” Sarah, her boss, said with a kind smile.

Frankie had gotten nervous at that but did as was asked.

“You’re not in trouble Francesca,” Sarah said with a kind smile.

Sarah is a middle aged good natured woman that is loved by most if not all the crew under her. She is a fair leader and suuuuper reliable. 

“I’ve seen the hours you’ve been putting in for the past months,” Sarah began, “Is everything ok?”

“Just needed to keep myself busy,” Frankie said not wanting to elaborate too much.

Sarah sighed having a hunch of what is going on since Mara fills her in some from time to time and said, “Mara’s told me there’s a Queen concert in town, yes?”

Frankie nodded.

“Why not take the next couple of weeks off?” Sarah asked suggestively, “Lord knows you’ve earned them.”

Frankie smiled and nodded before standing and making her way out.

“And Francesca,” Sarah called.

Frankie turned to see her boss giving her a wide smile.

“Enjoy the concert! And should you have the chance to meet them...Brian is a sweet as he can be,” Sarah said with a knowing wink.

Frankie smiled brightly at that and nodded.

Little did she know that despite her lack of knowledge of who Queen and her members are/were, she was going to draw the attention of a certain space man.

–//–

Don’t forget to like, reblog and leave a comment!! If you’d like to be tagged here or my permanent Queen/Borhap list let me know!!!

–//–

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[upennmanuscripts]

Murder in Lombardy! The original owner of a rare Italian Book of Hours identified

Fifty-two discoveries from the BiblioPhilly project, No. 9/52

   Book of Hours (here identified as the Hours of Cornelia Rhò), Use of Rome, Philadelphia, Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis E 206, fols. 16v-17r (full-page miniature of the Virgin and Child, and beginning of the Hours of the Virgin with historiated initial and coat-of-arms)

Though in rather poor condition, a closer look at this neglected Renaissance Book of Hours from Lombardy, Free Library of Philadelphia Lewis E 206, can tell us a great deal about its original context. Though it now has a Lewis shelf mark, the manuscript was a gift to the Free Library from Simon Gratz (1840–1925), a Philadelphia lawyer, education reformer, and autograph collector. Like an item we examined several weeks ago, this manuscript never belonged to John Frederick Lewis and therefore was not described in the 1937 catalogue of the Lewis Collection’s 200 western manuscripts.[1] Prior to being owned by Gratz, the book had been in the possession of another lawyer, George T. Strong of New York (1820–1875), who had acquired the book by 1843, when he inscribed his name on one of the flyleaves (incidentally, Strong’s notoriety stems from the survival of his 2,250-page diary, which records nearly every day of his adult life in great detail, so it would be interesting to see if he mentions the acquisition of this book). The manuscript thus came to the New World relatively early on, but that is certainly not where its story begins!

Beyond this American provenance, the book’s origins have until now remained obscure. Perhaps on account of its somewhat compromised condition, the book was not included in the landmark Leaves of Gold exhibition in 2001. And yet, present at the bottom of the first page of the Hours of the Virgin, on folio 17r, are a straightforward heraldic escutcheon bearing two impaled coats-of-arms (i.e. shown fully side-by-side to indicate a matrimonial union) and a somewhat less easily discernible name. These elements do not appear to have been altered through overpainting. They therefore must indicate the original owner.

   Lewis E 206, fol. 17r (detail of Visconti/da Rhò coat-of-arms) and their modern equivalents below

The right or sinister side of the coat-of-arms is readily identifiable as a serpent devouring a human baby, the famous vipera or Biscione, employed by the Visconti rulers of Milan and incorporated into the arms of their successors, the Sforza (argent an azure serpent devouring a child gules, or, in Italian, d’argento alla biscia d’azzurro ingolante un bambino di carnagione). The dexter side of the arms is of a less famous family, the De Raude or da Rhò (Gules, a wheel of five spokes argent, in Italian, di rosso, alla ruota d’argento), with the five-armed cartwheel being a play on the Latin word “rota” or wheel. Happily, the blue cartouche that surrounds the escutcheon contains a still-legible three-line inscription in gold capitals that reads “CO-RNE/LIA- DE/RA-VDE” or Cornelia de Raude.

Because the Sforza, the usurpers of ducal power in Milan, re-employed the Biscione in their more complex arms, I initially thought that the combination in our Book of Hours might be a reference to Cornelia, illegitimate daughter of Ottaviano Riario (1479–1523). Ottaviano was himself the son of Caterina Sforza (1463–1509), and the latter was instrumental in the upbringing of her illegitimate grandchild Cornelia. The date range seemed approximately correct, and the Sforza link could explain the use of the Biscione on the sinister, as well as the inclusion of a full-page prefatory miniature of Saint Catherine a few pages earlier, on folio 15v.

Lewis E 206, fol. 15v, full-page miniature of Saint Catherine

And yet, Cornelia Riario had no known connection to the da Rhò family. Further research allowed me to conclude that the correct identification lies in the person of Cornelia Rhò (birth date unknown, died after 1538), the daughter of Giovanni Paolo Rhò who married Giovanni II Borromeo (known as “Il gigante,” apparently on account of his size!), in 1518. As the son of Filippo Borromeo and Francesca Visconti, Giovanni II was the descendant of a prominent aristocratic line and served as commander of the Sforza infantry. His grandparents, Count Giovanni Borromeo (1439–1495) and Cle­ofa Pio da Carpi, owned a truly splendid Book of Hours illuminated by Cristoforo de Predis (ca. 1443–1486), today in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.

Cornelia’s mother-in-law was therefore a Visconti (see family tree below). The greater fame of the Visconti dynasty, and the complexity of the Borromeo family arms, which include a small Biscione anyway, are likely what led to Cornelia to elect to include the Visconti arms on the sinister, stripped of the gold crown atop the viper to signify that ducal power had passed to the Sforza. The wedding of Cornelia and Giovanni in 1518 accords perfectly with the circa 1520 date given to the book on account of the style of its miniatures and inhabited initials, which show the ongoing impact of the art of Leonardo da Vinci and his followers on miniature painting in Lombardy. It therefore seems reasonable to assume that this Book of Hours was a wedding gift to the young bride, either from her new husband, his parents, or her own parents.

  Family tree of the Borromeo family, from Vincenzo De-Vit, Il Lago Maggiore, Stresa e le isole Borromee notizie storiche colle vite degli uomini illustri dello stesso lago (Prato: Alberghetti, 1877), 112–113

The da Rhò family had their ancestral origins in the town of the same name, some ten kilometers north-west of Milan, but in the late-fifteenth century were elevated by Gian Galeazzo Sforza to become lords of Borghetto Lodigiano, about ten kilometers south of the bishopric of Lodi, in the Lombard plain. Their imposing residence there, the Palazzo Rhò, still survives and currently serves as the town hall. It was built sometime after 1481 (see here for further information and photos).

Palazzo Rho in Borghetto Lodigiano, the former seat of the da Rhò family.

This book is a valuable addition to the biography of Cornelia Rhò, as precious little else is known about her. She and Giovanni II had a son, Filippo Dionigi, the year after their marriage, who would go on to marry the noted poetess Livia Tornielli. Apparently, for unknown reasons, Cornelia’s brother Baldassarre murdered Giovanni II—her husband and his brother-in-law—in 1536![2] His tomb survives in the Milanese church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, famous for being home to Leonardo’s Last Supper. [3] In a future post, we’ll explore the authorship and attribution of the manuscript’s high-quality miniatures and inhabited initials, which can help us to further understand the context in which this overlooked gem of the Lombard Renaissance was produced.

[1] Edwin Wolf, A. S. W. Rosenbach, and Richard W. Ellis, A descriptive catalogue of the John Frederick Lewis collection of European manuscripts in the Free library of Philadelphia (Philadelphia: Free Library of Philadelphia, 1937).

[2] Vincenzo De-Vit, Il Lago Maggiore, Stresa e le isole Borromee notizie storiche colle vite degli uomini illustri dello stesso lago (Prato: Alberghetti, 1877), 172.

[3] Pietro C. Marani, Roberto Cecchi, and Germano Mulazzani, Guide to the refectory and Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan: Electa, 1999), 67.

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[dumbledearme]

~ read The Bridgerton Eight here ~~

The Modern Bridgertons:

Violet Bridgerton (1965—)

married her high school sweetheart at 18;

loves blackberry pie;

is a fancy ass woman but always acts with humility;

is known and respected by everyone in Great Hamptons;

always remembers everybody’s names;

is the queen of charity events;

has an intense flare for the dramatic;

lighted a candle for her husband everyday he was at war;

was strong for her children when he died and never cried in front of them;

cried a lot, alone, at night, in her room;

always supports her children in all their endeavors;

is obsessed with marrying all of them because she doesn’t want them to waste the little time they might have with their loved ones;

Edmund Bridgerton (1965—2009)

his favorite pie is blackberry pie because that’s what Violet likes;

his grandfather turned BCorp into a corporate company;

under his charge, BCorp became a “green company”;

was an eleven as a dad;

whenever his children were upset, he’d take his hands and put them on both sides of their head and they would just breathe together;

he was called to war world II when he was 34;

he was discharged with honor two years later for saving a fellow soldier;

he was stung by bees and died of anaphylactic shock;

Anthony Bridgerton (1991—)

1,84 cm/ 6′0″;

all he ever wanted was to be half the man his dad was;

he had to step up as the man of the family at just 18 years old;

he has been running BCorp and supporting his family ever since;

doesn’t have time for a good time; 

probably has forgotten what that is;

still, he’s been known to dally...

has a reputation as a player;

is afraid of intimacy;

work, work, work, work;

worries and protects every single one of his siblings because that’s what Dad would’ve wanted;

is always extra nice to his mother;

is dead scared of bees;

has hella good hair;

always dresses impeccably;

can be quite an ass.

Benedict Bridgerton (1993—)

1,87 cm; 6'2";

the artist of the family;

mostly paints landscapes;

doodles a lot;

often has paint on his hair and on his face and on his clothes;

is the only one who still goes to the family cabin by the beach;

graduated in fine arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome;

his paintings are sad and beautifully haunting;

believes in love at first sight;

is the tallest;the sweet Bridgerton;

is very protective of his sisters (that is the only thing that can prone him to violence, although in reality he wouldn’t hurt a fly);

very good with his hands;

a total and utter fool.

Colin Bridgerton (1997—)

1,75 cm; 5'9";

definitely the funny one;

the only one who has green eyes like Dad;

he's convinced that Holly Macclesfield is the love of his life, even after she cheated on him and got engaged to Nigel Berbrooke;

he travelled through Europe and Africa just to get away from the pain of it all;

he wrote a book about the things he's seen;

and the cultures he's experienced;

he majored in Greek and Roman architecture;

everybody likes him;

so charming, so handsome, so easy going;

the king of the easy smile;

he is never, ever, ever, ever sad;

he is never, ever, ever, ever mad;

what a dreamboat honestly.

Daphne Bridgerton (1998—)

1,68 cm;

slept with Eric Macclesfield and he broke up with her the following morning;

created a self-made business, the clothesline Daffiness;

is a fashion icon;

has a dying love for hats;

got a degree from the Université de Paris;

classy and edgy;

is the fun Bridgerton, always coming up with fun things to do;

wears a lot of sunglasses;

super independent woman who needs no man;

never, ever cries;

Eloise Bridgerton (2000—)

1,69 cm;

is a med-student in Sagaponak;

lively, talkative and genuinely fun;

sees the bright side in everything;

likes writing letters;

has zero time for men;

her favorite color was purple and she detested blood pudding;

the smart Bridgerton;

likes working with elders and children;

is very organized;

Francesca Bridgerton (2000—)

1,66 cm;

loves all things pretty;

is very feminine;

is very sensual;

always in perfect behavior;

the picture of sophisticated grace;

cares a lot about appearances;

a perfectionist;

is a seasoned liar;

had no filter;

spends most of her time at Flo’s Diner;

the love guru; she always knows when people have a thing for each other;

loves John *her boyfriend* in a platonic way;

has slept with a lot of boys; that is her way to hide what she really wants;

Gregory Bridgerton (2003—)

1,79 cm; 5'10";

he's favorite person in the world is Emma, the lunch lady;

he doesn't have a lot of friends, but he's friendly with a lot of people;

he notices the little people;

he's hungry ALL THE TIME; 

he's secretly a fantastic cook;

he likes picnics;

outside, not inside;

he's tall and lanky;

the awkward Bridgerton;

he's a hopeless romantic and then just hopeless.

Hyacinth Bridgerton (2005—)

1,73 cm; 5'8";

she's one tough cookie;

she will kick your ass;

she likes solving mysteries;

she's very competitive and a sour loser;

her best friend is Lady Danbury for some reason;

she has boxing classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday;

she's not very patient but extremely tenacious;

she's opinionated;

she will fight you;

the scary Bridgerton;

the tallest of her sisters.

Katharine Sheffield (1994—)

1,68 cm; 5'6";

she majored in politics with a master in women’s studies;

she lives in the wealthy manor of the mayor, who just happens to be her stepmother;

she's a pescetarian Monday through Wednesday, fruitarian Thursday through Sunday, and a vegetarian ALWAYS;

she volunteers for Greenpeace;

she's an atheist, or she tries to be;

clumsy as hell;has a great sense of humor;

has a corgi named Newton;

‘not the easy way but the right way’;

she hates when it rains because she's terrified of thunder;

her fiancé, Mason, dumped her on his surprise birthday party while the guests were hiding in the dark.

Edwina Sheffield (1998—)

1,52 cm;

the ‘Incomparable’ of 1953;

has buttery-colored hair and startling blue eyes;

likes reading and silent films;

petite and delicate;

Mayor Mary Sheffield (1976—)

has always been relatively wealthy;

married a very poor man;

Sophie Beckett (1996—)

1,57 cm; 5'2";

her father owned the Marvelous Penwood Hotel where she grew up;

her father was her best friend when he was alive;

her mother left them right after Sophie was born;

when Sophie was six, her father married the New York socialite Araminta Gunningworth;

he died soon after;

and because he didn’t leave a will, Araminta got everything—the hotel, the money and Sophie;

her best friends now are Mrs. Gibbons, the housekeeping supervisor, and Miss Timmons, the cook;

she is a fan of What everybody sees but nobody talks about;

because she needs to live vicariously through other people;

she works as a housemaid at Penwood Hotel;

she never gets a day off.

Araminta Gunningworth (1973—)

fabulously evil;

evil incarnated;

Rosamund Gunningworth (1996—)

1,57 cm;

has an interest in art;

works in a gallery;

helped curate the exhibition: What’s in a name?;

her real goal is to impress Benedict Bridgerton and then marry him;

over her rich, hot, dead body!

spoiled and fabulous;

Posy Gunningworth (1998—)

1,55 cm;

a Shakespeare fan, she was the one who came up with the idea for the What’s in a name?

never really lost her baby fat;

tries her best to be like her mother and sister;

isn’t very good at being mean;

likes food, especially cookies;

Penelope Featherington (2000—)

1,55 cm;

lives next door to Bridgerton Manor and often comes over for brunch;

is best friends with Eloise Bridgerton;

is the youngest of three sisters: Prudence, Philippa and Phoebe;

has flat chest and nose freckles;  

bald head, flat chest, nose freckles and a dying sentence.  

was just twelve and finishing 6th grade when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia which gives her shortness of breath and terrible headaches;

was bald during the entire time she was doing chemo; she hated the way she looked without hair and was always avoiding mirrors;

is the Hampton Girl;

started what everyone sees but nobody talks about when she was seventeen;

fell in love with Colin Bridgerton, her best friend’s brother, when she was fifteen;

studies journalism;

has a secret account currently filled with money;

Phoebe Featherington (1998—)

1,57 cm;

the second youngest Featherington;

is nicer than her older sisters;

doesn’t treat Penelope like she’s going to break at the slightest touch;

is actually pretty normal for a Featherington;

Philippa Featherington (1995—)

1,65 cm;

waaay to loud all the time;

you know when she’s in the room;

never stops talking;

never talks about anything interesting;

gossips 24/7;

Prudence Farber (1993—)

1,65 cm;

thinks she’s better than her sisters because she’s married, y’all;

has a son called Preston;

she married Penelope’s oncologist;

she can’t stop bringing up the fact that she married a doctor;

Portia Featherington (1969—)

Simon Basset  (1991—)

1,85 cm;

has a stutter but hides like a pro;

was raised by Eva St. Clair;

is the sole heir of Global Hastings;

went to Harvard with Anthony Bridgerton;

lived abroad for most of his life;

is considered proud and above the company;

is actually just shy;

but also an arrogant little shit;

looks like he has no feelings whatsoever;

is in fact a very emotion person;

Philip Crane (1990—)

1,77 cm;

is one of the very few inhabitants of Sagaponack;

is a biology teacher with a PhD in botanic;

is not comfortable around people; prefers plants;

owns a greenhouse where he spends most of his time;

is unbelievably unaware of how good looking he is;

his wife suffered from deep depression which culminated in an attempted suicide, which he prevented, but resulted in her death anyway;

has twin children: Oliver and Amanda;

he likes the rain and his favorite color is green;

always looks morose;

hasn’t smiled in years;

Michaela Stirling (2000—)

1,65 cm; 5'5";

she believes that she and Francesca are soul mates;

she has a step brother called John who is currently dating Francesca;

she belongs to an old and important family of the tons;

she is as gay as they come;

her hobbies include music and Francesca;

she's taking art classes but what she's really passionate about it photography;

oh and Francesca.

John Stirling (2000—)

1,78 cm;

Lucinda Abernathy (2002—)

1,70 cm; 5'6";

she's a ballerina;

she's 100% invisible when she’s around her best friend Hermione;

which is all the time;

she still has both her parents;

she's very practical and honest;

a very grounded sort of girl;

she fake-dates Haselby.

Richard Abernathy (2000—)

Hermione Watson (2003—)

1,62 cm;

her family left town six years ago, but now they’ve returned;

lives next door to Lucy and they’ve been best friends since childhood;

is the most beautiful girl in town, taking the crowd from Francesca;

every boy wants her;

every girl wants to be her;

is surprisingly sweet and nice to everyone;

is secretly engaged to Lucy’s older brother;

Gareth St. Clair (2002—)

1,85 cm; 6'1";

his mother died in a car crash when he was five;

he used to disappear from school with his friends to party;

has a very difficult relationship with his father;

he's devastated when his brother George dies;

he becomes the partial owner of St. Clair Enterprises;

both he and his brother were registered with their mother's surname;

he's the only grandson of Lady Danbury;

he wears a lot of leather;

he rides a motorcycle;

he chainsmokes;

has a lot of anxiety.

George St. Clair (2000—2020)

1,78 cm;

the prodigal son;

smart, good-looking and well behaved;

got into Harvard;

got along with everyone;

was heir to half of half of St. Clair Enterprises;

died of pneumonia at the age of twenty-one;

Angelo Guido (1975—)

mean and violent;

nobody likes him;

doesn’t like anybody;

is in charge of the half of the half of St. Clair Enterprises which used to be belong to his wife and their son after her;

wants Gareth to sign the company over to him;

absolutely loathes Gareth;

Lady Emerauld St. Clair Danbury (1950—)

1,65 cm;

co-owner of St. Clair Enterprises;

the company was founded by her grandfather;

she gave half of half the company’s shares to each of her daughters, Isabella and Evanora;

after Isabella’s sudden death, her share was kept in the hands of her husband, Angelo Guido, until their eldest son was of age;

her husband was an oaf, but she was genuinely fond of him and had difficulty accepting his death;

has a sharp tongue;

walks with a cane she sometimes uses to hit people with;

Isabella St. Clair (1978—2007)

she married a man thirteen years her senior;

barely a year into the marriage, he grew mean and violent until their love died away;

a few years later, when Angelo was on a working trip, she fell in love with someone else and got pregnant;

was a great mother and spent a lot of times with her sons;

used to call them bambinos;

kept a diary in Italian;

she died in a car with her supposed lover;

Evanora St. Clair (1972—)

got a job as a nanny when she was fifteen;

it was supposed to be a temporary job, but Eva ended up staying for eighteen years;

still works with children at a helping center for children with learning and speaking disabilities;

never married or had children of her own;

Nigel Berbrooke (1995—)

Holly Macclesfield (1998—)

Colin’s high school sweetheart;

they were together for years until she dumped him to be with Nigel;

is a bimbo ass girl;

loves unitards;

Eric Macclesfield (1996—)

Daphne’s ex boyfriend;

broke up with her soon after she gave him her virginity;

total douchebag;

thinks no means yes;

deserves some good punches in that pretty face;

works for Global Hastings;

Mason (1990—)

the unfunny comedian;

he and Kate were engaged for three years;

broke up with her in his surprise birthday party unaware that the guests were hiding and listening;

stupid;