Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena
Encyclopedia
Ercole III d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1780 to 1796. He was a member of the House of Este.
, the son of Duke Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena and Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans
and Regent of France
. He was the couples fourth child and had an older sister Maria Teresa
and two brothers who died before his birth.
In 1741 he married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa, by which he annexed the Duchy of Massa and Carrara
to the Este territories. When his parents succeeded as rulers of Modena, he was styled His Royal Highness the Hereditary Prince of Modena (1737–1780) and after 1780, His Royal Highness the Duke of Modena.
Generally appreciated by his subjects (he sometimes spoke in Modenese dialect with them), and continued the reform begun by his father. He built the two bridges at Rubiera
and St. Ambrogio at Modena
on the Via Emilia, and built new roads connecting to the neighbouring states. In 1785 he founded the Atesine Academy of Fine Arts: during his reign arts and culture flourished, and among his protegées were Lazzaro Spallanzani
, Giambattista Venturi, Girolamo Tiraboschi
, Lodovico Ricci
and others.
The French invasion
forced him to flee to Venice
on 7 May 1796, carrying with him a conspicuous personal asset. Later French soldiers captured him at Venice, robbing 200,000 zecchini from his house. After this episode he moved to Treviso
, where he died in 1803. The peaces of Treaty of Campo Formio
(1797) and Lunéville
had assigned him territories in Breisgau
in exchange of the lost Duchy, but he never took possession of them.
His only legitimate daughter Maria Beatrice
married Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
. Their son Francis IV
regained the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1814.
Biography
He was born in ModenaModena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, the son of Duke Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena and Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
and Regent of France
Régence
The Régence is the period in French history between 1715 and 1723, when King Louis XV was a minor and the land was governed by a Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, the nephew of Louis XIV of France....
. He was the couples fourth child and had an older sister Maria Teresa
Maria Teresa d'Este
Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este was born a Princess of Modena and was by marriage the Duchess of Penthièvre. She was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and thus the grandmother to the future Louis-Philippe of France.-Life:...
and two brothers who died before his birth.
In 1741 he married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa, by which he annexed the Duchy of Massa and Carrara
Duchy of Massa and Carrara
The Duchy of Massa and Carrara was the duchy that controlled the towns of Massa di Carrara and Carrara; the area is now part of unified Italy, but retains its local identity as the province of Massa-Carrara.-History:...
to the Este territories. When his parents succeeded as rulers of Modena, he was styled His Royal Highness the Hereditary Prince of Modena (1737–1780) and after 1780, His Royal Highness the Duke of Modena.
Generally appreciated by his subjects (he sometimes spoke in Modenese dialect with them), and continued the reform begun by his father. He built the two bridges at Rubiera
Rubiera
Rubiera is a comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located on the Via Emilia about 50 km northwest of Bologna and about 13 km southeast of Reggio Emilia.-History:...
and St. Ambrogio at Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
on the Via Emilia, and built new roads connecting to the neighbouring states. In 1785 he founded the Atesine Academy of Fine Arts: during his reign arts and culture flourished, and among his protegées were Lazzaro Spallanzani
Lazzaro Spallanzani
Lazzaro Spallanzani was an Italian Catholic priest, biologist and physiologist who made important contributions to the experimental study of bodily functions, animal reproduction, and essentially discovered echolocation...
, Giambattista Venturi, Girolamo Tiraboschi
Girolamo Tiraboschi
Girolamo Tiraboschi was an Italian literary critic, the first historian of Italian literature.-Biography:Born in Bergamo, he studied at the Jesuit college in Monza, entered the order, and was appointed in 1755 professor of eloquence in the University of Milan...
, Lodovico Ricci
Lodovico Ricci
Lodovico Ricci was an Italian historian and economist.He was born in Chiari , and held different posts in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, chiefly connected with charity organisations and taxation....
and others.
The French invasion
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
forced him to flee to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
on 7 May 1796, carrying with him a conspicuous personal asset. Later French soldiers captured him at Venice, robbing 200,000 zecchini from his house. After this episode he moved to Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
, where he died in 1803. The peaces of Treaty of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
(1797) and Lunéville
Treaty of Lunéville
The Treaty of Lunéville was signed on 9 February 1801 between the French Republic and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, negotiating both on behalf of his own domains and of the Holy Roman Empire...
had assigned him territories in Breisgau
Breisgau
Breisgau is the name of an area in southwest Germany, placed between the river Rhine and the foothills of the Black Forest around Freiburg im Breisgau in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, which partly consists of the Breisgau, is named after that area...
in exchange of the lost Duchy, but he never took possession of them.
His only legitimate daughter Maria Beatrice
Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este
Maria Beatrice d’Este was heiress of Modena and Reggio and Duchess of Massa and Carrara from 1790 until 1797 and from 1816 until her death in 1829.-Biography:...
married Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Anton Joseph Johann Stanislaus of Austria-Este was a son of Holy Roman Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresa of Austria. He was the founder of the House of Austria-Este and Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1765 and 1796...
. Their son Francis IV
Francis IV, Duke of Modena
Francis IV Joseph Charles Ambrose Stanislaus was Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola , Duke of Massa and Prince of Carrara , Archduke of Austria-Este, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece...
regained the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1814.
Issue
- Maria Beatrice d'Este (1750–1829) married Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and had issue.
- Rinaldo Francesco d'Este (1753) died in infancy.
Ancestry
Titles and styles
- 22 November 1727 – 26 October 1737 His Highness Ercole d'Este
- 26 October 1737 – 22 February 1780 His Royal Highness the Hereditary Prince of Modena
- 22 February 1780 – 16 October 1796 His Royal Highness the Duke of Modena
- 16 October 1796 – 17 October 1797 Titular Duke of Modena
- 17 October 1797 – 14 October 1803 His Royal Highness the Duke of Breisgau