Rosabella Angelica was born in the 14th century in Italy. Her mother was an accomplished lady and an accomplished chef who specialized in preparing Italian meals for the Italian court. Rosabella, as she was then known, was very talented and was taken under the wing of her talented father who specialized in painting. In the Renaissance period, Rosabella’s talent was recognized and she was apprenticed to a pastry chef in the palace of the duke of Orleans. She then went on to live in Spain, Naples and then to France where she spent her remaining days there.
The life of Rosabella is an interesting one because, although she was legally a woman, she was actually married to a man while under the legal age of marriage. This is a true rarity in the annals of history and it led to some embarrassing moments for Rosabella. The duke of Orleans did not approve of her being married to a man while she was legally a woman. He insisted that the marriage was null and void because it occurred before the law of the 14th century. Several months later, after several meetings, letters were exchanged and Rosabella and the duke agreed to resume their wedding. Shortly after the wedding, the two were formally declared husband and wife and they were wed on 4th September 1415 at the castle of San Bartolome.
Through out the rest of her life, Rosabella never expressed any regret over her decision to marry a man while she was legally a woman. There are no accounts or records which indicate any dissatisfaction or unhappiness that may have been caused by this marriage. After the death of her husband, Rosabella left Venice and moved to the court of the duke of Burgundy. She lived there until the death of her last husband, the duke of Bourbon. She was also very close to her daughter, Elizabeth of Burgundy whom she raised to be an artist and later Queen Elizabeth’s mistress. Her influence on the later French monarchs was profound and she was a great friend and aide to the French King Louis XIV.