- Leonello d'Este
Leonello d'Este, also spelled Lionello (1407 – 1450) was
marquis ofFerrara andDuke ofModena andReggio Emilia from 1441 to 1450.Biography
Leonello was one of the three illegitimate sons of
Niccolò d'Este III and Stella de' Tolomei. He received a military education under thecondottiero Braccio da Montone , and was taught in letters by the humanistGuarino Veronese . In 1425, after the execution of his elder brother Ugo Aldobrandino, he remained the sole heir of Niccolò.In 1435 he married to Margherita Gonzaga and was renowned as legitimate son by
Pope Martin V . Margherita, who died in 1439, gave birth to a child, Niccolò in 1438 (died in 1476).In 1441 he succeeded his father to his possession in northern Italy. In 1444 Leonello married to Mary of Aragon, illegitimate daughter of King Alfonso V of Naples.
Leonello was responsible of the construction of the first hospital of
Ferrara . A skilled politician, he however distinguished chiefly as a man of culture.Leon Battista Alberti wrote his "De Re Aedificatoria " under Leonello's commission, and at the Ferrarese court worked artists such asPisanello ,Iacopo Bellini ,Andrea Mantegna ,Piero della Francesca and the FlemishRogier van der Weyden . During his rule the University of Ferrara gained a European prestige.Leonello died in 1450, at age 43. He was succeeded by his father's illegitimate son,
Borso d'Este .External links
* [http://trionfi.com/0/d/03/ Extended biography]
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