Beatrice Cenci

Beatrice Cenci
A possible portrait of Cenci variously attributed to Reni or Sirani, supposedly from life,[a] praised by Stendhal, Dickens, and Hawthorne and inspiring Shelley's verse play of her life.[1]
Born(1577-02-06)6 February 1577
Died11 September 1599(1599-09-11) (aged 22)
Cause of deathExecution by beheading
Resting placeSan Pietro in Montorio,
Rome, Italy
Parent(s)Ersilia Santacroce (mother)
Count Francesco Cenci (father)

Beatrice Cenci (Italian: [beaˈtriːtʃe ˈtʃɛntʃi]; 6 February 1577 – 11 September 1599)[2] was a Roman noblewoman imprisoned by her father, who repeatedly raped her. To escape the abuse and get away from the house, she killed him. The story of the murder and what led up to it shocked Europe. Despite outpourings of public sympathy, Beatrice Cenci was beheaded in 1599 after a lurid murder trial in Rome that gave rise to an enduring legend about her.[3]

  1. ^ a b Nicholl (1998).
  2. ^ "Beatrice Cenci | Italian noble". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  3. ^ Naish, Camille (2013). Death comes to the maiden sex and execution 1431-1933. London: Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 9780203104019. OCLC 1059033365.


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