Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors.
Slight tweaks have been made to Filiberta of Savoy (1498-1525) and Giuliano de' Medici (1479-1516). I have bumped up their birth years slightly along with the year of their marriage. Filiberta is born in 1488 and married Giuliano in 1504 instead of 1515.
Prequel to Festina Lente.
Chapter One: Arranged Marriage.
22nd of February 1504 - Château de Cognac, Cognac
Staring at herself in the mirror, Filiberta of Savoy could not help but ponder what her father would have thought of the match that had been made for her by her sister; she had doubted even he would have thought such a match was fitting. The maids worked silently around her ensuring that she was prepared for her wedding, the elegant gown had been borrowed from her sister since she did not have anything that was nice enough for this wedding.
As the youngest daughter of the late Philip II, Duke of Savoy, she had not inherited much when her father had passed on and he had been known as the Landless for a reason. With many brothers, Filiberta had been sent into the household of her elder sister, Louise of Savoy, who had been married to the Count of Angoulême and despite now being his widow was still a rather a rich woman.
It was even expected that her son would be King of France one day, since the current King had no son of his own and the throne could only pass to men. That was how Filiberta found herself in this situation, Louise had been seeking allies and had eager to connect her family with another that she thought would benefit her son the most.
Apparently Cardinal Giovanni de Medici aspired to become Pope one day and Louise had offered him support in doing so after the fall of his family in Florence which had left them displaced. Tears burned the back of Filiberta's eyes at the thought of what her life could have been like, this was not how she had pictured her wedding day. When she had thought about it; she had at least thought it would be to someone of good breeding and a good fortune that would keep her comfortable. Her lack of dowry left by her father was an issue for many but Louise had negotiated around it with the Cardinal, the alliance between their families deemed more profitable than her meagre dowry.
The Medici were an Italian banking family and political dynasty, though had fallen on hard times after the death of Lorenzo de Medici and had found themselves forced from their home. Such things did not endear Filiberta to her new husband, she feared the future she might have tied to a family that could not even support themselves now; they had so little and no lands to call their own.
"You look beautiful sister," mused a voice snapping Filiberta from her bitter musings, she turned to face Louise and gave her a slight curtsy before allowing the maids to continue to prepare her. Her stomach felt like there were butterflies inside of it and her palms were sweaty, she had never felt this way before and Louise was not the one that she had hoped that she would see this morning.
"Has my mother arrived?" Filiberta asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper as she turned back to the mirror so she could stare at her reflection; she had expressly asked that her mother be here for her wedding. Afterall what sort of mother would miss her own daughter's wedding, it might not have been the grand match that Claudine de Brosse had hoped for but she was her only daughter.
Out of the six children that Claudine had given Philip II, Duke of Savoy all had been sons except for her and right now Filiberta wished for her mother to be here to comfort her. They could mourn the loss of her hopes and dreams together and she would much prefer her mother to be with her when she was taken to her marriage bed.
"She sends her apologies but she could not make it," Louise replied stiffly, a part of her relieved that her late father's second wife would not be in attendance; despite the fact that her own mother had pass it had been hard to stomach the idea of his remarriage. The two of them had never gotten along and Louise was sure that Claudine had been furious to learn that it had been her that had plotted to see Filiberta married off for the good of the family and that Philibert had supported her in making the match.
The news that her own mother would not be here to celebrate her wedding day with her and give her the guidance that she needed made Filiberta squeeze her eyes close. A single tear escaped and she was not sure how she would get through this day without her, it had been hard since the death of her father and she had been whisked away from the only home that she had known to come to her sister's household.
Her time spent learning how to be a lady and run a household of her own, something that she would likely not get to do now if what she had heard about Giuliano was correct. The man set to be her husband did not have much, he was a third son and most of his inheritance had been divided between his two older brothers; not that it had done much for his brother Piero.
"All shall be well," Louise reassured moving to smooth out her sister's dress, it was important that today went well especially considering what it would mean. Louise would not have arranged this match if she did not think it would also benefit Filiberta in some way as well; she had planned everything down to the final detail. As the aunt of the future King of France, Louise would make sure that Francis would look down fondly on Filiberta and her new husband. Perhaps even a title when the time was right, she did not expect much from Giuliano despite his time spent in Venice and Urbino trying to win support to help his family regain the home that had been lost.
"Come now sister, it shall not be said that you wept at the altar like some child on your wedding day," Louise scolded her gently, she reached up to brush away the fallen tear and searched her face for a moment. They were women living in a man's world and sometimes things needed to be sacrificed for them to gain power, it had not been an easy decision but one that was necessary. If the Medici rose again to the heights that they had previously held then Louise had no doubts that they would remember those who helped them gain back what they had lost.
"Someday you shall thank me," Louise told her, her hand moving to cup her sister's face in a moment of tenderness before she stepped back and allowed the maids to finish dressing her so that they did not keep the groom waiting.
"Do not look so bitter brother, you have a beautiful bride," Cardinal Giovanni de Medici murmured to his youngest brother, it was just the two of them in attendance and he had high hopes for this match. By marrying his brother into the Savoy family, Giovanni gained some powerful supporters especially for his own plans for the future; his father had always said he would be Pope one day and he planned to make that happen.
Giuliano snorted, his eyes moving across the gathering and he could not believe that Giovanni had done this to him; he had always thought his brother would allow him the freedom to marry a woman of his choosing. As the youngest son, there had never been much expected of him, even now when their elder brother had passed and it had fallen not to Piero's son but to Giovanni to led the family, he had no responsibilities.
"Yet she is not of my choosing," Giuliano muttered turning to glare at his brother, he had never thought he would be married off like this and he had thought he might continue to enjoy the life that he had in Venice. There were many women there for him to admire, one had even caught his eye and he had hoped to court her if given the chance; now that had all been destroyed and instead, he found himself here marrying a complete stranger.
"Think of it this way. One day you could be the uncle to the King of France, a boy that currently has no father figure in his life," Giovanni pointed out calmly, it would be a great honour and put his brother in a rather powerful position especially if it meant that it would allow them to reclaim Florence. The young Francis was but a boy of ten and he would need a male guide in his life, one that perhaps he would reward when he came into his throne.
There was little hope that the current King would produce a son even if there was still time for that, it did not mean that a Prince born to the Queen would find himself on the throne. They only had to look at the death of the Tudor boy in England to know that he had been a healthy boy by all accounts until he had married the Infanta and now he was dead within months of them being married. Of course, Giovanni had heard rumours about the situation there and he had pondered what it might mean for the future of that alliance while they tried to work out what happened with the girl now.
Giovanni moved to stand by the altar when the signal was given that the bride was ready, he would not allow his brother's sulking to ruin such a fine celebration; a match like this was not so easily negotiated when the groom had little. The Medici would raise again because of this match, they would be restored and no one would be able to deny that while they might have fallen under Piero that they had risen like the Phoenix by him.
Filiberta was escorted down the aisle by her eldest brother, his arm linked with hers as they walked solemnly towards the altar; her future husband not even turning to look at her as she approached. Philibert, Duke of Savoy had also put upon her how important this match was, she was to be a loyal wife to her new husband; he expected her to be a good wife to Giuliano and produce the man many sons.
It was important that she do so especially with the Medici legacy now resting on Giuliano, he was the last son of the Great Lorenzo to be wed and she must play her part in his legacy. There could be no greater honour for a woman than to give her husband many sons and if her own mother had been able to give her husband five of them then she as her mother's daughter should do the same.
Standing beside the man that was to be her husband, Filiberta could not bring herself to look at him and stared right passed the Cardinal as he spoke; a single tear trickled down her face knowing that this would be the last she shed on the matter. It would not do for her to weep on the what ifs of her life, if this was the path that God had chosen for her then she would be a good and loyal wife to Giuliano and she would do whatever it took to make him happy.
Holding her head high, Filiberta vowed to herself that she would do as the Medici brides had done before her; she would help her husband make his mark in his family history and provide him with many children. Moving to take Giuliano's hand, Filiberta finally looked upon the man that she was spend the rest of her life with; his face was stern and he looked just as pleased with the match as she was. Time would only tell if they would find happiness in this match or spend their lives making each other miserable.
"Pax vobis. In nomini patri. Et fili et spiritus sancti. Amen," Giovanni chanted over the bed, sprinkling holy water as he did so; the candles doing little to light the room and the continued celebrations could still be heard. A maid attended to a nervous looking Filiberta, helping her remove her clothing and tidy it away things while Filiberta glanced nervously at the door awaiting the arrival of her husband.
The colour had drained from her face and she looked almost faint, the need for her mother only growing as she fiddled with the sleeves of her nightgown. Her sister stood across the room with a couple of her ladies and Filiberta wished someone had done more to prepare her for this moment. Of course, Louise had whispered a small warning that the first time could be painful and that it would not be pleasant but in time she might come to enjoy such things.
Giuliano walked into the room followed by a couple of men, he nodded to his brother as he crossed the room and approached his bride; an easy about him at such things and he reached for her. Slowly he backed her towards the bed, his face almost emotionless as he did so until he saw the panicked glance that Filiberta offered to the other people that were gathered in the room. Gently moving his hands to cup her face, Giuliano watched her eyes flicker to him in fear as he shielded them from the rest of the gathering who had come to ensure that no one could deny their match was consummated.
"We're the only ones that matter here," Giuliano whispered to her, his dark eyes taking in her face for a moment; his words meant to be reassuring and he could see that she did not relax. His hands gently pulled her forward so that they may kiss, it was tender at first and they inched their way backwards to the bed; their movements slightly clumsy as they moved onto the bed.
Staring across the room at the scene before her, Louise was reminded of the night that her own marriage was consummated; how hopeful she had been for a bright future for them. It had only ended in tragedy when her husband had died, leaving her to protect their children and secure their future; she would not allow herself to ponder what might have been if he had survived.
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