Ercole II d'Este
Encyclopedia
Ercole II d'Este was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was a member of the house of Este
and the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este
and Lucrezia Borgia
.
Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope
Alexander VI, nephew of Cesare Borgia
, and cousin of Saint Francis Borgia. Through his father, he was nephew of both Isabella d'Este
, "the First Lady of the Renaissance
", and Cardinal
Ippolito d'Este
.
His siblings included Ippolito II
, Archbishop of Milan
and later Cardinal, nun
Leonora, and Francesco, Marchese di Massalombarda. His half-siblings included Rodrigo Borgia of Aragon, Lucrezia’s son by Alfonso of Aragon
, Duke of Bisceglie
, and perhaps Giovanni Borgia
, the “infans Romanus”.
In April 1528, he married Renée of France
, the second daughter of Louis XII, King of France, and Anne of Brittany
. Renée received from Francis I of France
an ample dowry
and annuity. Thus the court she assembled about her in Ferrara
corresponded to the tradition which the cultivation of science and art implicitly required, including scholars like Bernardo Tasso
and Fulvio Pellegrini Morato.
Their first child, Anna
, born in 1531, who was married to Francis, Duke of Guise
, was followed by Alfonso
in 1533; Lucrezia in 1535, who was married to the Duke of Urbino Francesco Maria II della Rovere
; and later Eleonora and Luigi
, whose education she carefully directed.
Once he became a Duke in October of 1534, Ercole turned against the French at his court, finding them both too expensive and too influential, and by 1543 they had all been dismissed. He was also under pressure from the Curia
to dismiss those suspected of heresy
; John Calvin
himself was in Ferrara sometime in 1536. Meanwhile, Duchess Renée was corresponding with a number of Protestants
and was suspected to have converted
, despite the presence of a special court of the Inquisition
in Ferrara. Ercole brought accusations of heresy against his wife to King Henry II of France
and Inquisitor Oriz in 1554, and she subsequently confessed.
Ercole sided with Pope Paul IV
and France against Spain in 1556, but made a separate peace agreement in 1558.
He was also a patron of the arts along with his brother, Cardinal Ippolito
, who built the Villa d'Este
near Tivoli
.
Este
The House of Este is a European princely dynasty. It is split into two branches; the elder is known as the House of Welf-Este or House of Welf historically rendered in English, Guelf or Guelph...
and the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este
Alfonso I d'Este
Alfonso d'Este was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai.-Biography:He was the son of Ercole I d'Este and Leonora of Naples....
and Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia [luˈkrɛtsia ˈbɔrʤa] was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia...
.
Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Alexander VI, nephew of Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia , Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. He was the son of Pope Alexander VI and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was the brother of Lucrezia Borgia; Giovanni Borgia , Duke of Gandia; and Gioffre Borgia , Prince of Squillace...
, and cousin of Saint Francis Borgia. Through his father, he was nephew of both Isabella d'Este
Isabella d'Este
Isabella d'Este was Marchesa of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion, whose innovative style of dressing was copied by women throughout Italy and at the French court...
, "the First Lady of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
", and Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Ippolito d'Este
Ippolito d'Este
Ippolito d'Este was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, and Archbishop of Esztergom. He was a member of the House of Este.-Biography:...
.
His siblings included Ippolito II
Ippolito II d'Este
Ippolito d'Este was an Italian cardinal and statesman. He was a member of the House of Este, and nephew of the other Ippolito d'Este, also a cardinal.-Biography:...
, Archbishop of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and later Cardinal, nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
Leonora, and Francesco, Marchese di Massalombarda. His half-siblings included Rodrigo Borgia of Aragon, Lucrezia’s son by Alfonso of Aragon
Alfonso of Aragon
Alfonso of Aragon was the Duke of Bisceglie and Prince of Salerno, as the son of King Alfonso II of Naples by his mistress Truzia Gazzela ....
, Duke of Bisceglie
Bisceglie
Bisceglie is a town and comune on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of c. 54,000, in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia , southern Italy....
, and perhaps Giovanni Borgia
Giovanni Borgia (1498)
Giovanni Borgia , the infans Romanus , was alleged to be the child of Lucrezia Borgia. Pope Alexander VI issued two papal bulls, both dated 1 September 1501, in each of which a different father is assigned to Giovanni Borgia, the second appearing to supplement and correct the first.The first of...
, the “infans Romanus”.
In April 1528, he married Renée of France
Renée of France
Renée de France was the younger daughter of Louis XII of France and Anne, Duchess of Brittany. Her elder sister was Queen Claude of France. She was the Duchess of Ferrara due to her marriage to Ercole II d'Este, grandson of Pope Alexander VI...
, the second daughter of Louis XII, King of France, and Anne of Brittany
Anne of Brittany
Anne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and Margaret of Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Queen Eleanor of...
. Renée received from Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
an ample dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
and annuity. Thus the court she assembled about her in Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
corresponded to the tradition which the cultivation of science and art implicitly required, including scholars like Bernardo Tasso
Bernardo Tasso
Bernardo Tasso , born in Bergamo, was an Italian courtier and poet.He was, for many years, secretary in the service of the prince of Salerno, and his wife Porzia de Rossi was closely connected with the most illustrious Neapolitan families...
and Fulvio Pellegrini Morato.
Their first child, Anna
Anna d'Este
Anna d'Este, also Anne d’Este was an important princess with considerable influence at the court of France and a central figure in the French Wars of Religion...
, born in 1531, who was married to Francis, Duke of Guise
Francis, Duke of Guise
Francis de Lorraine II, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Duke of Aumale , called Balafré , was a French soldier and politician.-Early life:...
, was followed by Alfonso
Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara
Alfonso II d'Este was duke of Ferrara from 1559 to 1597. He was a member of the house of Este.-Biography:...
in 1533; Lucrezia in 1535, who was married to the Duke of Urbino Francesco Maria II della Rovere
Francesco Maria II della Rovere
Francesco Maria II della Rovere was the last Duke of Urbino.- Biography :Born at Pesaro, Francesco Maria was the son of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, Count of Montefeltro and Vittoria Farnese, Princess of Parma...
; and later Eleonora and Luigi
Luigi d'Este
Luigi d'Este was an Italian Catholic cardinal, the second of the five children of Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Modena and Ferrara, and Renée, daughter of Louis XII of France.-Biography:...
, whose education she carefully directed.
Once he became a Duke in October of 1534, Ercole turned against the French at his court, finding them both too expensive and too influential, and by 1543 they had all been dismissed. He was also under pressure from the Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
to dismiss those suspected of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
; John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
himself was in Ferrara sometime in 1536. Meanwhile, Duchess Renée was corresponding with a number of Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
and was suspected to have converted
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
, despite the presence of a special court of the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
in Ferrara. Ercole brought accusations of heresy against his wife to King Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
and Inquisitor Oriz in 1554, and she subsequently confessed.
Ercole sided with Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV, C.R. , né Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 until his death.-Early life:Giovanni Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina, near Avellino, into a prominent noble family of Naples...
and France against Spain in 1556, but made a separate peace agreement in 1558.
He was also a patron of the arts along with his brother, Cardinal Ippolito
Ippolito II d'Este
Ippolito d'Este was an Italian cardinal and statesman. He was a member of the House of Este, and nephew of the other Ippolito d'Este, also a cardinal.-Biography:...
, who built the Villa d'Este
Villa d'Este
The Villa d'Este is a villa situated at Tivoli, near Rome, Italy. Listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, it is a fine example of Renaissance architecture and the Italian Renaissance garden.-History:...
near Tivoli
Tivoli, Italy
Tivoli , the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, about 30 km east-north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills...
.
Ancestors
| Ercole II d'Este | Father: Alfonso I d'Este Alfonso I d'Este Alfonso d'Este was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai.-Biography:He was the son of Ercole I d'Este and Leonora of Naples.... |
Paternal Grandfather: Ercole d'Este I Ercole d'Este I Ercole I d'Este was Duke of Ferrara from 1471 until 1505. He was a member of the house of Este. He was nicknamed North Wind and the Diamond.-Biography:... |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Niccolò III d'Este Niccolò III d'Este Niccolò III d'Este was Marquess of Ferrara from 1393 until his death. He was also a condottiero.-Biography:... |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Ricciarda da Saluzzo |
|||
| Paternal Grandmother: Leonora of Naples Leonora of Naples Eleanor of Naples was, by marriage, the first Duchess of Ferrara.... |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Ferdinand I of Naples Ferdinand I of Naples Ferdinand I , also called Don Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. He was the natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon by Giraldona Carlino.-Biography:... |
||
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Isabella of Taranto Isabella of Taranto Isabella of Taranto , born Isabella of Clermont, was a Princess of Taranto in her own right and first Queen consort of Ferdinand I of Naples.-Family:... |
|||
| Mother: Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia [luˈkrɛtsia ˈbɔrʤa] was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia... |
Maternal Grandfather: Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet... |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Joffre de Borja y Doms |
|
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Isabella de Borja |
|||
| Maternal Grandmother: Vannozza dei Cattanei Vannozza dei Cattanei Vannozza dei Cattanei was an Italian noblewoman from the House of Candia, who was one of the many mistresses of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, future Pope Alexander VI. Among them, she was the one whose relationship with him lasted the longest... de Candia |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Jacopo Pinctoris |
||
| Maternal Great-grandmother: Mencia Pinctoris |