Ferdinando was born in the
Palazzo Pitti to Cosimo III de' Medici and his wife
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans, a granddaughter of
Maria de' Medici. When Ferdinando's parents separated in 1675, his mother (who disdained her husband only slightly more than Florence did) returned to Paris, where she was supposed to be confined to a
monastery in
Montmartre. Ferdinando became a rebellious youth, who disagreed intensely with his father on every subject. He was placed under the care of his grandmother,
Vittoria della Rovere. Ferdinando had a great affinity with his vivacious mother. He was handsome, a fine horseman, and a talented musician. He sang melodiously and played the harpsichord. He was a master in
counterpoint, which he studied under Gianmaria Paliardi of Genoa, and in various bowed instruments, which he studied under Piero Salvetti. He was known for his ability to play a piece of music
at sight and then repeat it faultlessly without looking at the music. Aside from music, Ferdinando's other principal delight was in intimate liaisons and affairs, often with men. These included Petrillo, a musician famous for his beauty, and Cecchino, a Venetian
castrato. Ferdinando's uncle
Francesco Maria de' Medici, only three years older, was a strong influence on his life. ,
Prince Ferdinand and his musicians, 1685–90, Florence, Palatine Gallery of Palazzo Pitti In 1689 Ferdinando married Violante of Bavaria, the daughter of the
elector of Bavaria Ferdinand and
Adelaide of Savoy. Although she also liked music and loved Ferdinando, her feelings were not requited and the marriage was unhappy and barren. In 1696 Ferdinando sought recreation in Venice. He fell in love with a female vocalist called
La Bambagia. It is presumed that during the
Carnival of Venice, Ferdinando contracted
syphilis.
Vittoria Tarquini, called
La Bombace, the wife of the concertmaster became the mistress of Ferdinando. (She may have been a daughter of
Robert Cambert and had an affair with Handel.) By 1710 his health had begun to fail, and the annual operatic productions at Pratolino under his aegis (see below) ceased. Ferdinando died in 1713, having fathered no children. His father continued to rule until 1723, and was succeeded on his death by Ferdinando's younger brother
Gian Gastone, who likewise died childless. The lack of fecundity in the family ultimately led to a crisis: after Gian Gastone's death in 1737, the great powers of Europe reassigned the Grand Duchy to
Francis, the husband of
Maria Theresa, thus ending the independence of the Tuscan state. ==Legacy==