Alfonso II d'Este

Alfonso II. D'Este (youth portrait)

Alfonso II. D'Este (born November 22, 1533 - † October 27, 1597 ) from the Este family was the eldest son of Ercoles II. D'Este and his wife Renée de France . From 1559 until his death he succeeded his father as Duke of Ferrara , Modena and Reggio .

Life

Alfonso took part in 1566 in the campaign of his brother-in-law Emperor Maximilian II against the Ottomans . In 1574 he ran for the Crown of Poland , but was not elected.

Alfonso II concluded three marriages:

in June 1558 with Lucrezia de 'Medici (1545–1562), a daughter of Duke Cosimo I of Florence ,
on December 5, 1565 with Barbara von Österreich (1539–1572), a daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I , and
on February 24, 1579 with Margherita Gonzaga (1564-1618), a daughter of Duke Guglielmo Gonzagas of Mantua .

Since all three marriages remained childless, he made his cousin Cesare d'Este , the son of his uncle Alfonso d'Este , Margrave of Montecchio, his heir. Pope Clement VIII did not recognize this regulation because of the illegitimate birth of Alfonso of Montecchios, and in 1598 he incorporated Ferrara as a settled fiefdom and incorporated it into the Papal States. In 1577 Alfonso II sold the margravate Vignola near Modena to Pope Gregory XIII for 70,000 Ferrarese gold scudi . or to his son Giacomo Boncompagni .

Promoter of the arts and sciences

Alfonso II raised the fame of Ferrara to its peak. Like his predecessors, he promoted the arts and sciences. He was the patron of the poets Torquato Tasso and Giovanni Battista Guarini and the philosopher Cesare Cremonini . His court organist was Luzzasco Luzzaschi .

He also supported the Concerto delle donne , whereupon the idea of an ensemble of female musicians spread across Italy. He also had Castello Estense renovated after it was damaged by an earthquake in 1570.

The corresponding expenditure, however, was borne by the state treasury.

Individual evidence

↑ Edith Schlocker: Ambras Castle: The Emperor's Unhappy Daughters. Die Presse, July 25, 2010, accessed on July 26, 2010 (The exhibition "Nozze italiane" illustrates the marriage policy of the Habsburgs. The focus is on three daughters of Ferdinand I who were married to Italy).

predecessor	Office	successor
Ercole II.	Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio 1559–1597	Cesare

personal data
SURNAME	Alfonso II d'Este
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio
DATE OF BIRTH	November 22, 1533
DATE OF DEATH	October 27, 1597

[1] Edith Schlocker: Ambras Castle: The Emperor's Unhappy Daughters. Die Presse, July 25, 2010, accessed on July 26, 2010 (The exhibition "Nozze italiane" illustrates the marriage policy of the Habsburgs. The focus is on three daughters of Ferdinand I who were married to Italy).