Alfonso III. d'Este

Duke Alfonso III.

Alfonso III. d'Este (born October 22, 1591 in Ferrara ; † May 24, 1644 in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana ) from the House of Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1628 to 1629 , resigned in favor of his son Francesco I d'Este and then became Capuchins .

He was the eldest son of Duke Cesare d'Este of Modena and Reggio and the Virginia de 'Medici , daughter of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici . On 22 February 1608 he married in Turin Isabella of Savoy (* March 11, 1591; † August 22, 1626) daughter of Duke Carlo Emanuele I . The wedding was celebrated together with that of Isabella's sister Margherita with the Duke of Mantua , Francesco IV Gonzaga .

Alfonso, who is described as intelligent, but also quick-tempered, even violent, participated in state affairs early on. In 1610 he led Mantua's campaign against Lucca for the possession of Garfagnana , but fell ill with a fever and withdrew to Modena while his brother Luigi continued the fight. Isabella died on August 22, 1626 as a result of the birth of her fourteenth child.

Two years later, after the death of his father Cesare on December 11, 1628, Alfonso succeeded as Duke of Modena and Reggio. After only seven months in government, Alfonso handed over the rule to his son Francesco and retired to Merano , where he entered the Capuchin order under the name Giambattista da Modena. He studied theology and rhetoric in Rome, founded a monastery in Gorizia and was called to Innsbruck and Vienna to preach there. In 1632 he returned to Modena, where he preached and gathered many followers. A special concern of his was the conversion of the Jews, which also included coercive measures. Alfonso retired to the convent he had founded in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana , where he died on May 24, 1644.

progeny

Alfonso's wife Isabella of Savoy

Alfonso and Isabella had 14 children:

1. Cesare d'Este (* 1609; † 1613)
2. Francesco I. d'Este (1610–1658) Duke 1629 ⚭ 1) 1631 Maria Farnese (1615–1646) daughter of Ranuccio I Farnese Duke of Parma , ⚭ 2) 1648 Vittoria Farnese (1618–1649), her sister, ⚭ 3) 1654 Lucrezia Barberini (1630–1699), daughter of Taddeo
3. Obizzo d'Este (* 1611; † 24 August 1644), Bishop of Modena 1640.
4. Caterina d'Este (February 2, 1613; † 1628), nun
5. Cesare d'Este (* 1614; † September 20, 1677)
6. Alessandro d'Este (* / † 1615)
7. Carlo Alessandro d'Este (* 1616; † 1679)
8. Rinaldo d'Este (* 1618 - † October 30, 1672), Bishop of Reggio Emilia, Palestrina and Montpellier, cardinal 1641
9. Margherita d'Este (* 1619; † November 12, 1692) ⚭ June 25, 1647 Ferrante III. Gonzaga , Duke of Guastalla (1618–1678)
10. Beatrice d'Este (* / † 1620)
11. Beatrice d'Este (* 1622; † 1623)
12. Filiberto d'Este (* 1623; † 1645)
13. Bonifazio d'Este (* / † 1624)
14. Anna Beatrice d'Este (* 1626 - 25 September 1690) ⚭ 29 April 1656 Alessandro II. Pico, Duke of Mirandola (* 31 March 1631 - 2 February 1691)

literature

• Romolo Quazza:  ALFONSO III d'Este, duca di Modena. In: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 2. Rome 1960.
• Riccardo Rimondi: Estensi. Story e legend, personaggi e luoghi di una dinastia millenaria . 3. Edition. Cirelli & Zanirato, Ferrara 2008, ISBN 978-88-902193-6-8 , pp. 210-213 .

Web links

• Family tree on euweb.cz. Retrieved March 16, 2013 . 

predecessor	Office	successor
Cesare	Duke of Modena and Reggio 1628–1629	Francesco I.