| Francesco III | |
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| Reign | 26 October 1737 – 22 February 1780 |
| Spouse | Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans |
| Issue | |
| Maria Teresa Felicitas, Duchess of Penthièvre Ercole III, Duke of Modena Maria Fortunata, Princess of Conti Benedetto Filippo, Abbot of Anchin |
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| Full name | |
| Francesco Maria d'Este | |
| Father | Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena |
| Mother | Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg |
| Born | 2 July 1698 Ducal Palace of Modena |
| Died | 22 February 1780 (aged 81) Palazzo Estense, Varese |
Francesco III (Francesco Maria; 2 July 1698 – 22 February 1780) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1737 until his death.
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He was born in Modena, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
During his reign, the duchy was bankrupted by the Wars of the Spanish, Polish, and Austrian Successions. As a result, Francesco was forced to sell the most precious artworks of the Estense Gallery. He was a careful administrator but most of the duchy's financial policy was in the hands of the Austrian plenipotentiary, Beltrame Cristiani.
Among his measures, the urban renovation of Modena and the construction of the Via Vandelli, connecting the city to Tuscany.
Francesco also was the interim Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1754 and 1771.
He died in 1780 in his villa at Varese. His son Ercole III d'Este succeeded him.
In 1721, he married Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (1700–1761), a daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans and Françoise Marie de Bourbon (illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan) and had ten children.
He acted as proxy groom for his sister Henrietta Maria d'Este in 1728 who was marrying Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma.
After his first wife's death, he remarried twice more morganatically to Teresa Castelberco and Renata Teresa d'Harrach.
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Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena
Born: 2 July 1698 Died: 22 February 1780 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Rinaldo III |
Duke of Modena and Reggio 1737–1780 |
Succeeded by Ercole III |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Gian Luca Pallavicini |
Governors of the Duchy of Milan 1754–1771 |
Succeeded by Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este |
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