A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Rossi, Blanche de
ROSSI, BLANCHE DE,
The wife of Battista de la Porta, of Padua, was a noble, brave, and faithful woman. In 1237, during the war between the Guelfs and Ghibellines, she went with her husband, who was sent as commander of the forces to Bassano, to defend the city against the tyrant Ezzelino.
Blanche fought by the side of her husband in various skirmishes, and upon the walls of the city, and often took the place of his aid-de-camp, when the man was exhausted by his duty. When the city fell into the hands of the enemy by treachery, Battista was killed at the head of his soldiers, fighting to the last. Blanche, tied with cords, was dragged before the conqueror. The tyrant, inflamed by her beauty, offered her liberty and wealth if she would consent to make his house her home. She refused indignantly, and threw, herself out of the window, but, contrary to her expectation, she escaped unharmed, and was again brought before her enemy. She pretended to accept the tyrant's proposals, and made only one condition, that of seeing once more the body of her husband. The tyrant consented, and ordered his guards to accompany her to the grave. When they had arrived at it, and after the heavy stone had been removed, she jumped into the grave and caused the stone (o fall upon and crush her. Thus died the noble wife of Battista.