Niccolò III. d'Este

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Niccolò III. d'Este on a contemporary coin

Niccolò III. d'Este (born November 9, 1383 or 1384; † December 26, 1441 in Milan ) from the House of Este was Margrave of Ferrara , Modena and Reggio from 1393 to 1441 , he gained great fame through many relationships and the large number of his illegitimate children .

Early government

Equestrian statue of Niccolos III. d'Este in Ferrara

Niccolò III. was the only child of Alberto I. d'Este and Isotta Albarenani. He came from the younger line of the Fulc-Este or just Este , who had the title of Margrave of Este since 1171 . Niccolò followed his father as margrave in 1393 under the tutelage of a Regency Council and only married Gigliola da Carrara, daughter of Francesco Novello da Carrara, lord of Padua, at the age of thirteen in June 1397. This marriage was unhappy, because Gigliola suffered from the mistake, "unforgivable" for the wives of dynasties, of having no children, which is why Niccolò had no legitimate heir. Gigliola had been ill for a long time and passed away in seclusion, to the great sorrow of the poor in the city, whose benefactress she had proven herself to be - on February 16, 1416.

From 1403 Stella de 'Tolomei , daughter of Giovanni de' Tolomei, was his lover. The bishop and important writer Matteo Bandello (* 1485, † 1561) called him the "Rooster of Ferrara" and wrote that there was no area in Ferrara and the surrounding area where Niccolò did not have a bastard son, so that the saying went around the people " di qua e di là dal Po son tutti figli di Niccolò ”(“ on both sides of the Po - all of Niccolò's children ”). Stella Tolomei finally saw the moment had come to step out of the role of a lover to take on the promised role of legitimate wife and margravine.

Drama about Parisina

Painting by Piero della Francesca ; pictured is Niccolò III. d'Este on the right

On April 2, 1418 he married the much younger Parisina Malatesta (1404–1425), daughter of Andrea Malatesta, Lord of Cesena. Strategic considerations may also have played a role in this, because in troubled times the brotherhood with the House of Malatesta , which was regularly distinguished by capable condottiere , could be of decisive importance. In Ferrara, Parisina found not only her husband's lover, but also her children, who were about the same age as herself. The young new margravine took a lot of getting used to the - exuberant - erotic needs of her husband. Parisina, gave birth to two daughters (twins) to the margrave in 1419 and in 1421 Alberto Carlo d'Este, a legitimate heir to the throne, who died after a short time. After Niccolò preferred the young Parisina as his wife, Stella died on July 11, 1419 of a "broken heart". Parisina's relationship with her stepchildren was not easy, as she - almost of the same age - possessed little authority, her husband loved his illegitimate children, treated them as legitimate and, in particular, had taken into his heart Ugo, who was chosen by him as his heir.

According to one unsecured version, she began a relationship with her stepson Ugo when the plague broke out in Ferrara. In order to protect her from infection, Parisina was brought out of the city to the Fossadalberto Castle in safety, where she was accompanied by her stepson Ugo d'Este for protection. During this stay in the secluded castle, a love affair would have developed between the two. As the fiancée suspected Ugo, Niccolo was told about the inconsistency. So Niccolo wanted certainty and watched his wife from a hiding place and caught her on May 18, 1425 committing adultery. Beside himself with anger, he ordered an express trial to be held to convict the guilty under the law - which provided the death penalty for adulterers caught in the act. Ugo was locked in the "Lion Tower" and Parisina in the tower of Castello Estense , which is still called "Torre Marchesana" today. Both were sentenced to death. On May 21st, Ugo was beheaded first. When Parisina was picked up, she asked about Ugo. When they told her he was dead, she exclaimed that she too no longer wanted to live, took off her jewelry and covered her face herself to make the decapitation easier. That same night both were buried in the church of San Francesco. When the margrave was informed that the execution was going to be carried out, he raced in pain, cursed his decision and wept for days over the loss of his beloved son. In his desperation, Niccolo found that all women who had committed marriage like Parisina should suffer the same punishment. The first victim was Laudania Romei, the wife of a high dignitary at court. After their execution, Niccolò considered himself and withdrew his insane order.

Last work

In the spring of 1433, the Roman-German Emperor Sigismund confirmed the Margrave Niccolò III on September 17, 1433. d'Este, the county Comacchio as an additional fiefs, having already on September 13 his sons to knights had struck.

Pope Eugene IV opened a council in Ferrara on January 8, 1438, through his legate Cardinal Nikolaus Albergati. The negotiations began when Niccolo received the Pope in his city in March of that year. There was the last meeting of a Pope with a Patriarch of the Christian Eastern Church. For reasons of epidemic prevention and the papal financial shortage, the council was moved to Florence in January 1439 .

family

Niccolò married three times:

  • in June 1397 Gigliola da Carrara († 1416), a daughter of Francesco da Carrara,
  • on April 2, 1418 Parisina Malatesta (* 1404, † 1425), a daughter of Andrea Malatesta and Lucrezia Ordelaffi
  • 1431 Ricarda di Saluzzo († 1474), daughter of Tommaso III , Margrave of Saluzzo

From these three marriages and from a number of extramarital relationships, he had at least 24 children:

  • Camilla d'Este ⚭ 1448 Rodolfo von Camerino († 1464),
  • Fulco d'Este († 1433),
  • Alberto d'Este († 1450),
  • Isotta d'Este (1403–1404),
  • Ugo d'Este (1405-1425),
  • Meliaduso d'Este (1406-1452), abbot in Pomposa and Ferrara, resigned in 1425,
  • Leonello d'Este (1407–1450) ⚭ 1) 1435 Margherita Gonzaga († 1439), daughter of Francesco Gonzagas , ⚭ 2) 1444 Maria († 1449), illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso V of Aragón ,
  • Margherita d'Este ⚭ 1427 Galeotto Roberto Malatesta ,
  • Margherita d'Este († 1452) ⚭ Galasso Pio,
  • Margherita d'Este ⚭ Franceschino in Verona,
  • Borso d'Este (1413–1471), Duke of Modena and Reggio 1452, Duke of Ferrara 1471,
  • Viridis d'Este, nun,
  • Alberto d'Este (1415–1502),
  • Gurone d'Este († 1484),
  • Lucia d'Este (1419–1437) ⚭ 1437 Carlo Gonzaga († 1456), son of Gianfrancesco Gonzagas ,
  • Ginevra d'Este (1419–1440) ⚭ 1433 Sigismondo Malatesta (1417–1468),
  • Alberto Carlo d'Este (* / † 1421),
  • Isotta d'Este (1425–1456) ⚭ 1) 1444 Oddo Antonio da Montefeltro (1426–1444), ⚭ 2) 1446 Stefano Frangipani,
  • Beatrice d'Este (1427–1497) ⚭ 1) 1448 Niccolò of Correggio († 1449), ⚭ 2) 1451 Tristano Sforza († 1477)
  • Ercole I. d'Este (1431–1505), Duke 1471, ⚭ 1473 Eleonora of Naples (1450–1493), daughter of King Ferdinand I ,
  • Sigismondo d'Este (1433–1507), Margrave of San Martino since 1501,
  • Rinaldo d'Este (around 1435–1503) ⚭ 1472 Lucrezia von Montferrat († after 1481), daughter of Margrave Wilhelm X. ,
  • Bianca d'Este (1440–1506) ⚭ 1468 Galeotto Pico , lord of Mirandola († 1499),
  • Orsina d'Este ⚭ 1) Aldobrandino Ragnoni († after 1454), ⚭ 2) NN Malatesta , ⚭ 3) 1469 Andrea Gualengo.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Edward Burman: Italian Dynasties, Lübbe Verlag 1991, p. 67
  2. ↑ Giuliana Berengan: op. Cit. P. 134
  3. ↑ Casimir von Chledowski: op. Cit. P. 24
  4. ↑ Joseph Aschbach: History of Kaiser Sigmund , Volume 4: Sigmund's last years of government at the time of the Basel Council , Hamburg 1845, p. 469 .
predecessor Office successor
Alberto I. d'Este Lord of Modena
1393–1441 		Leonello d'Este
personal data
SURNAME Niccolò III. d'Este
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Margrave of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio
DATE OF BIRTH November 9, 1383 or 1384
DATE OF DEATH December 26, 1441
Place of death Milan