Some years later, Alessandro, himself carrying on a public affair with another woman, accused Sveva of adultery and plotting to kill him.

[1] She was the daughter of Caterina Colonna, a niece of Pope Martin V,[2] and Guido Antonio of Montefeltro, Count of Urbino.

[3] Sveva's older brother, Oddantonio da Montefeltro, succeeded his father as Count and cared for Seraphina until his assassination in 1444.

[10] In 1453, a series of letters to Alessandro from Benedetta Reguardati, the family physician, complain of Sveva's temperament and describe her as hysterical.

[3][7] During his six-year absence, Sveva raised her stepchildren, assisted by her aunt Vittoria Colonna and her cousin Elisabetta Malatesta [it], the children's grandmother.

[3] His abuse of Sveva escalated to public beatings and insults, repeated strangulation, and an attempted poisoning which left her partly paralyzed.

[2] Alessandro's subsequent enquiries left him convinced of the truth of his suspicions, although some biographies maintain Sveva's innocence.

[3][10][13] According to Lèon de Clary's account, Sveva refused to answer Alessandro's questions, and he interpreted this as an admission of guilt.