Bona Sforza

Bona Sforza d’Aragona (Italian: Bona Sforza d’Aragona; 2 February 1494 - 19 November 1557) was a Polish queen and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, the second wife of Sigismund I the Elder and the mother of Sigismund II Augustus.

Daughter of the Duke of Milan Giovanni Galeazzo Sforza. She was consistently strengthening the political power and economic power of the monarchy, protected state lands from illegal appropriation by the feudal lords. The principles of intensive farming (reclamation, improved crop rotation), standardized taxation, were introduced in her many estates and layer were extended to all state estates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Bona Sforza promoted the Law on Land lots (1557) that unified land taxation and by the end of the XVI century was adopted by most landowners.

Since arriving in Poland in 1518, Bona has had a large entourage of Italians, specialists in various fields, including chefs who have had a significant impact on expanding the latest Western European cultural and technical achievements, consumer preferences of the Renaissance, including improving the menu. only the highest aristocratic circles of Poland and the GDL. The activities of Bona Sforza are associated with the appearance or expansion in the menu of the aristocracy of exotic oriental fruits - oranges, lemons, pomegranates, figs, spices - saffron, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, sugar, as well as olives, chestnuts, raisins, almonds, marzipan etc. The most striking innovation of the Bonn era is salad and other vegetables, as well as the introduction of the fork, etc.