Maria Giovanni Torgia

Maria Giovanni Torgia was Queen of Naples from 1503 to 1562. She was from the then irrelevant House of Torgia and marring the King of Naples was her major power play. Her spouse Andrea "The Baron" hadn't been born with a surname so once he was married he took Maria's surname. This was seen as an affront by many including many church members. However Andrea's then ally Rodrigo Borgia or Pope Alexander VI suppressed this opinion. Maria at one point would control 1/3 of Neapolitan territory and become the Princess of Achaea. She asked Andrea many times about becoming Co-ruler with Andrea, but was always refused. She was by the far one of the most powerful figures in Italy with an expansive spy network. She in modern times is idealized by many as the most important female figure in Italian history.