Editing Della Rovere (section)

== History ==

[[Francesco Della Rovere]] was born into a poor family in [[Liguria]] in north-west Italy in 1414, the son of Leonardo della Rovere of [[Savona]].{{r|trecc}} A [[Franciscan]] who became Minister General of his order, then cardinal, he had a reputation for unworldliness until he was elected pope in 1471. As Sixtus IV he was both wealthy and powerful, and at once set about giving power and wealth to his nephews of the Della Rovere and [[Riario]] families. Within months of his election, he had made [[Giuliano della Rovere]] (the future pope Julius II) and [[Pietro Riario]] both [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinals]] and [[bishop]]s; four other nephews were also made cardinals.{{r|cronin|hibbert|page1=252|page2=128}} He made [[Giovanni Della Rovere]], who was not a priest, [[prefect of Rome]], and arranged for him to marry into the [[House of Montefeltro|da Montefeltro]] family, [[dukes of Urbino]]. Sixtus claimed descent from a noble Della Rovere family, the counts of [[Vinovo]] in [[Piemonte]], and adopted their [[coat-of-arms]].{{r|trecc2}}

[[Guidobaldo da Montefeltro]] adopted [[Francesco Maria I della Rovere]], his sister's child and nephew of [[Pope Julius II]]. Guidobaldo I, who was heirless, called Francesco Maria at his court, and named him as heir of the [[Duchy of Urbino]] in 1504, this through the intercession of Julius II. In 1508, Francesco Maria inherited the duchy thereby starting the line of Rovere Dukes of Urbino. That dynasty ended in 1626 when [[Pope Urban VIII]] incorporated Urbino into the [[papal dominions]]. As compensation to the last sovereign duke, the title only could be continued by [[Francesco Maria II della Rovere|Francesco Maria II]], and after his death by his heir, [[Federico Ubaldo della Rovere|Federico Ubaldo]].

[[Vittoria della Rovere|Vittoria]], last descendant of the della Rovere family (she was the only child of Federico Ubaldo), married [[Ferdinando II de' Medici]], Grand Duke of Tuscany. They had two children: [[Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Cosimo III]], Tuscany's longest reigning monarch, and [[Francesco Maria de' Medici]], a [[prince of the Church]].