Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara
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Alfonso II d'Este (November 22, 1533 - October 27, 1597) was duke of Ferrara from 1559 to 1597. He was a member of the house of Este.
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[edit] Biography
He was the elder son of Ercole II d'Este and Renée de France, the daughter of Louis XII of France and Anne of Brittany.
As a young man, he fought in the service of Henry II of France, fighting against the Habsburgs. Soon after his accession to the throne, he was forced by Pope Pius II to send back him mother to France, due to her Calvinist creed.
In 1583 he allied with Emperor Maximilian II in the war against the Turks in Hungary.
[edit] Marriages
He married three times:
- On July 3, 1558, Alfonso married his first wife Lucrezia de' Medici June 7, 1545 - April 21, 1561). She was a daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo. She died three years afterwards, and poisoning is suspected.
- On December 5, 1565, Alfonso married his second wife Barbara of Austria (April 30, 1539 - September 19, 1572), eighth daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary.
- On February 24, 1579, Alfonso married his third wife Margherita Gonzaga (May 27, 1564 - January 6, 1618). She was the eldest daughter of William I, Duke of Mantua and Eleonora of Austria. Eleonora was an older sister of his second wife Barbara.
He had no known children, legitimate or otherwise.
[edit] Succession
The legitimate line ended in 1597 with him. Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor recognized as heir his cousin Cesare d'Este, member of a cadet branch, who continued to rule in the imperial duchies and carried on the family name. The succession, however, was recognized only by the Emperor but not by the Popes. In 1598 Ferrara was therefore incorporated into the Papal States by Pope Clement VIII, on grounds of doubtful legitimacy.
[edit] Patron of the arts
Alfonso II raised the glory of Ferrara to its highest point, and was the patron of Torquato Tasso and Giovanni Battista Guarini, favouring the arts and sciences, as the princes of his house had always done. Luzzasco Luzzaschi served as his court organist.
In addition, he was the sponsor of the Concerto delle donne, a type of group which was to be copied all over Italy.
His expenses, however, went at damage of the public treasure.
[edit] Trivia
Some specialists claim that Alfonso II is the duke upon which Robert Browning based his poem My Last Duchess.
[edit] External links
- Illustrious people (English)
| Preceded by: Ercole II |
Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio 1559–1597 |
Succeeded by: end of legitimate line |
| Concerto delle donne | |
|---|---|
| Singers in preliminary group | Lucrezia Bendidio; Isabella Bendidio; Leonora Sanvitale; Vittoria Bentivoglio; Giulio Cesare Brancaccio |
| Singers in concerto delle donne proper | Laura Peverara; Anna Guarini; Livia d'Arco; Tarquinia Molza; Giulio Cesare Brancaccio |
| Patrons | Alfonso II d'Este; Margherita Gonzaga d'Este |
| Composers and assisting musicians | Luzzasco Luzzaschi; Ippolito Fiorini; Giaches de Wert; Claudio Monteverdi; |
| Printer | Vittorio Baldini |
