- Niccolò III d'Este
Niccolò III d'Este (
November 9 1383 –December 26 1441 ) wasMarquess of Ferrara from 1393 until his death. He was also acondottiero .Biography
Born in
Ferrara , the son ofAlberto d'Este and Isotta Albaresani, he inherited the rule of the city when he was still 10 years old, under the protection of the Republics of Venice, Florence and Bologna. He was attacked by his relativeAzzo X d'Este , a general ofGian Galeazzo Visconti ,Duke of Milan , a descendant ofObizzo II d'Este who contested Niccolò the right to rule in Ferrara due to his illegitimate birth [Although Niccolò had been later legitimated by his father.] . Azzo was however taken prisoner byAstorre I Manfredi in the ensuing war, and any menace over Niccolò's rule disappeared.In 1397 he married Gigliola da Carrara, daughter of
Francesco II da Carrara , lord ofPadua .In 1403 he joined the league formed against the Duke of Milan, being appointed commander-in-chief of the Papal Army by
Pope Boniface IX . In 1405 he ceded the ancestral family lands nearEste to Venice. In 1410 he commissioned three copies ofFior di Battaglia .This manuscript is a large part of the foundation of modern attempts to rebuild theWestern martial arts . In 1413 he made a pilgrimage to theHoly Land . In 1418 he remarried to ParisinaMalatesta , daughter ofAndrea Malatesta . Fearing the ambitions ofFilippo Maria Visconti , two years later he ceded him the possession ofParma .In 1425 Niccolò had both his wife
Parisina and his illegitimate son Ugo executed on charges of adultery. In that year he was again commander-in-chief of the anti-Visconti league. In 1429 his illegitimate son was named heir of the Marquisate.The role of Niccolò as a prestigious leader in Italy was confirmed when his city was chosen as the seat of a council in 1438.
Marriages and children
He married first Gigliola da Carrara, daughter of
Francesco II da Carrara , lord ofPadua in June, 1397. She died of the plague in 1416. They had no known children.He married secondly Parisina
Malatesta , daughter ofAndrea Malatesta . He had her executed on21 May ,1425 for allegedly having an affair with his illegitimate son Ugo. They had three children:*Ginevra d'Este (born 1419). Married her maternal relative
Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta .
*Luzia d'Este (24 March ,1419 -28 June ,1437 ). MarriedCarlo Gonzaga of Milan , Lord ofSabbioneta .
*Alberto Carlo d'Este (born and deceased in 1421).He married thirdly Ricciardia of Saluzzo in 1429. She was a daughter of
Thomas III of Saluzzo and Marguerite ofRoussy . They had two children:*
Ercole d'Este I ((October 26 ,1431 –June 15 ,1505 ).
*Sigimondo d'Este (1433 -1 April ,1507 ).He also had eleven illegitimate children:
*Ugo d'Este. Executed by his father on
21 May ,1425 for allegedly having an affair with his stepmother ParisinaMalatesta
*Meliaduse d'Este, Abbot of Pomposa and Ferrara, (1406 - 1452). Son by Caterina ofMedici .
*Leonello d'Este (1407 - 1450). Son by Stella de' Tolomei.
*Borso d'Este (1413 - 1471). Son by Stella de' Tolomei.
*Alberto d'Este (1415 -8 April ,1502 ). Son by Filippa della Tavola.
*Isotta d'Este (1425 - 1456). Daughter by Filippa della Tavola. Married firstOddantonio da Montefeltro ,Duke of Urbino and secondlyStephen Frangipani, Count of Segni .
*Beatrice d'Este (1427 - 1497). Married Niccolò of Correggio.
*Rinaldo d'Este, Lord of Ostellato (c. 1435 - 1535). Son by Anna de Roberti.
*Branca Maria d'Este (18 December ,1440 -12 January ,1506 ). Daughter by Anna de Roberti. Married Galeotto I Pico, Lord della Mirandola.
*Gurone d'Este (d. 1484). An Abbot.
*Camilla d'Este. Married Rodolfo da Varano ofCamerino .References
* L. A. Muratori. "Delle antichità Estensi". 1717, Modena;
* G. B. Pigna. "Historia dei Principi d'Este". 1570, Ferrara.Footnotes
External links
* [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/welf/welf9.html#N3 A listing of descendants of the d'Este fsmily]
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