Ottavio Farnese
Ottavio Farnese ( October 9, 1524 , † September 18, 1586 in Parma ) was the second son of Pier Luigi II. Farnese , Duke of Parma and Piacenza and was himself Duke of Parma and Piacenza from September 10, 1547 to September 18, 1547 September 1586.
He was married to Margarethe (July 1522 - January 18, 1586), the illegitimate daughter of Emperor Charles V , in Rome on November 4, 1538 . Ottavio was 14 years old, Margarethe, who had recently (1537) lost her first husband, Alessandro de 'Medici , 16. At first she had an aversion to her young husband, but this changed when he was wounded in a campaign against Algiers in 1541 returned.
Ottavio had become lord of Camerino in 1540 , but gave up this title when his father became Duke of Parma in 1545. When the nobility of the city murdered his father in 1547, Piacenza was occupied by troops of the emperor under Ferrante I Gonzaga of Mantua . Pope Paul III , Pierluigi's father and Ottavio's grandfather, tried to win back Piacenza, also pushed Ottavio's claims to Parma aside, where he installed a papal legate, gave him back Camerino instead and then demanded that the emperor surrender Piacenza, not for his family, but for them Church.
But Ottavio would not be fobbed off. He tried to win Parma by force, which he failed, and then entered into negotiations with Ferrante I. Gonzaga. This resistance on the part of his grandson hastened the demise of the Pope, whose death occurred on November 10, 1549. In the interregnum that followed, Ottavio tried again to persuade the governor in Parma to hand over the city to him, albeit without success. Then when Giovanni Giocchi del Monte as Julius III. elected pope, the duchy was handed over to him in 1551.
Ottavio's argument with his father-in-law did not end there. Since at the same time Ferrante Gonzaga refused to release Piacenzas and even threatened to occupy Parma, Ottavio was forced to look for another ally, which he then found in the French King Henry II . Julius III, who was anxious to have an agreement with the emperor because of the Council of Trent , ordered Ottavio to return Parma to the curia, reprimanded him for his refusal and deprived him of his Roman fiefs while Charles V. did the same with those in Lombardy . A French army advanced to defend Parma, war broke out and Gonzaga besieged the city. The Duke, however, reached an agreement with his father-in-law Charles V, which returned Parma, Piacenza and Novara to him, as well as Penna, Castro and the remaining fiefs in the Kingdom of Naples. Parma was expanded into a new residence. Ottavio founded a Jesuit college, which later became the University of Parma.
The relationship with Margarete remained distant, Ottavio stayed in Parma, his wife resided in Piacenza and insisted on her independence. The connection was only made through a regular exchange of letters, which dealt primarily with state affairs. In 1559 Margarete was appointed governor of the Netherlands by her half-brother Philip II and she left Italy to help her son Alessandro with his advancement in Spanish service. After the uprising in the Netherlands, Margaret was replaced as governor and returned to Italy in 1568, where she took over the governorship of the Abruzzo region of L'Aquila . Ottavio spent the remaining 35 years of his life in peace on his property.
When Don Juan de Austria died in the camp of Namur in 1578, Margaret's talented son Alessandro Farnese succeeded him as governor there. In October 1579 the Spanish King Margarethe again submitted the offer to become Dutch governess again. Margarethe accepted her half-brother's invitation again. She received the same powers as in 1559, arrived in Luxembourg on June 23, 1580 and from there went to Namur on July 26 to represent her son as regent of the Netherlands during his campaigns. On September 14, 1583 Margarethe finally withdrew to Italy, she lived again on her property near Aquila and died on January 18, 1586 in Ortona. After Ottavio's death shortly afterwards, the Duchy of Parma fell to his son Alessandro Farnese (1545–1592), the only descendant of Ottavio, in 1586, since Alessandro's twin brother Carlo Farnese had died at a young age.
Ottavio Farnese in armor
Ottavio Farnese
Ottavio Farnese on the right in a bent position, painting Pope Paul III. and his nephews from Titian
Bust of Ottavio Farnese, now in Castello Sforzesco , Milan
literature
- Edward Burman: Italian Dynasties. Gustav Lübbe Verlag, Bergisch Gladbach 1991
References and comments
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Pier Luigi II Farnese |
Duke of Parma 1547–1586 |
Alessandro Farnese |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Farnese, Ottavio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duke of Parma and Piacenza |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 9, 1524 |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 18, 1586 |
| Place of death | Parma |