Niccolò III d'Este
Encyclopedia
Niccolò III d'Este was Marquess of Ferrara from 1393 until his death. He was also a condottiero.
, the son of Alberto 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 relative Azzo X d'Este, a general of Gian Galeazzo Visconti
, Duke of Milan, a descendant of Obizzo II d'Este
who contested Niccolò the right to rule in Ferrara due to his illegitimate birth. Azzo was however taken prisoner by Astorre 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 of Padua
.
In 1403 he joined the league formed against the Duke of Milan, being appointed Captain General
of the Papal Army by Pope Boniface IX
. In 1405 he ceded the ancestral family lands near Este
to Venice.
In 1410 the fighting master Fiore dei Liberi
dedicated his treatise, the Fior di Battaglia, to him.
This manuscript is a large part of the foundation of modern attempts to rebuild the Western martial arts
. In 1413 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
. In 1418 he remarried to Parisina Malatesta
, daughter of Andrea Malatesta
. Fearing the ambitions of Filippo Maria Visconti
, two years later he ceded him the possession of Parma
.
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.
in June, 1397. She died of the plague in 1416. They had no known children.
He married secondly Parisina Malatesta
, daughter of Andrea Malatesta
. He had her executed on 21 May 1425 for allegedly having an affair with his illegitimate son Ugo. They had three children:
He married thirdly Ricciarda of Saluzzo in 1429. She was a daughter of Thomas III of Saluzzo
and Marguerite of Roussy. They had two children:
He also had eleven illegitimate children:
Biography
Born in FerraraFerrara
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...
, the son of Alberto d'Este
Alberto d'Este
Alberto d'Este was lord of Ferrara and Modena from 1388 until his death.He was associated in the lordship of the House of Este by his brother Niccolò in 1361, becoming the sole ruler of Ferrara and Modena after the latter's death in 1388...
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
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, Florence
Republic of Florence
The Republic of Florence , or the Florentine Republic, was a city-state that was centered on the city of Florence, located in modern Tuscany, Italy. The republic was founded in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon Margravine Matilda's death. The...
and Bologna. He was attacked by his relative Azzo X d'Este, a general of Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti , son of Galeazzo II Visconti and Bianca of Savoy, was the first Duke of Milan and ruled the late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance...
, Duke of Milan, a descendant of Obizzo II d'Este
Obizzo II d'Este
Obizzo II d'Este was Marquis of Ferrara and the March of Ancona.-Biography:He was a bastard, the fruit of an illegitimate relation of Rinaldo I d'Este - the only son and heir of the Margrave Azzo VII d'Este - with a Neapolitan laundress...
who contested Niccolò the right to rule in Ferrara due to his illegitimate birth. Azzo was however taken prisoner by Astorre I Manfredi in the ensuing war, and any menace over Niccolò's rule disappeared.
In 1397 he married Gigliola
Gigliola da Carrara
Gigliola da Carrara was the Marchioness of Ferrara, daughter of Francesco Novello da Carrara, lord of Padua, son of Francesco I da Carrara and Taddea d'Este....
da Carrara, daughter of Francesco II da Carrara, lord of Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
.
In 1403 he joined the league formed against the Duke of Milan, being appointed Captain General
Captain General of the Church
The Captain General of the Church was the de facto commander-in-chief of the papal armed forces during the Middle Ages. The post was usually conferred on an Italian noble with a professional military reputation or a relative of the pope...
of the Papal Army by Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX
Pope Boniface IX , born Piero Tomacelli, was the second Roman Pope of the Western Schism from November 2, 1389, until October 1, 1404...
. In 1405 he ceded the ancestral family lands near Este
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...
to Venice.
In 1410 the fighting master Fiore dei Liberi
Fiore dei Liberi
Fiore Furlano de Civida d'Austria delli Liberi da Premariacco was a Medieval master of arms and the earliest Italian master from whom we have an martial arts manual...
dedicated his treatise, the Fior di Battaglia, to him.
This manuscript is a large part of the foundation of modern attempts to rebuild the Western martial arts
Western Martial Arts
Western Martial Arts refers to formalized fighting techniques and skills of European or generally Western origin, as distinct from those originating in Asia....
. In 1413 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. In 1418 he remarried to Parisina Malatesta
House of Malatesta
The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as other lands and towns in Romagna.Malatesta da Verucchio The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and...
, daughter of Andrea Malatesta
Andrea Malatesta
Andrea Malatesta was an Italian condottiero, a member of the Malatesta family of Romagna. He is also known as Malatesta da Cesena, a city he had inherited in 1385 from his father, Galeotto, together with Cervia and Bertinoro...
. Fearing the ambitions of Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti
Filippo Maria Visconti was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447.-Biography:Filippo Maria Visconti, who had become nominal ruler of Pavia in 1402, succeeded his assassinated brother Gian Maria Visconti as Duke of Milan in 1412. They were the sons of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Gian Maria's predecessor, by...
, two years later he ceded him the possession of Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
.
In 1425 Niccolò had both his wife Parisina
Parisina
Parisina is a poem written by Byron. It was published on 13 February 1816 and probably written between 1812 and 1815.It is based on a story related by Edward Gibbon in his Miscellaneous Works about Niccolò III d'Este, one of the dukes of Ferrara who lived in the fifteenth century...
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 of PaduaPadua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
in June, 1397. She died of the plague in 1416. They had no known children.
He married secondly Parisina Malatesta
House of Malatesta
The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as other lands and towns in Romagna.Malatesta da Verucchio The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and...
, daughter of Andrea Malatesta
Andrea Malatesta
Andrea Malatesta was an Italian condottiero, a member of the Malatesta family of Romagna. He is also known as Malatesta da Cesena, a city he had inherited in 1385 from his father, Galeotto, together with Cervia and Bertinoro...
. He had her executed on 21 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). Married Carlo Gonzaga of MilanCarlo Gonzaga of MilanCarlo Gonzaga , Lord of Sabbioneta, was an Italian Guelph nobleman of the Mantuan House of Gonzaga who rose to the position of Captain of the People in the Ambrosian Republic of Milan, and eventually ruled practically as an autocrat. He was the younger son of Gianfrancesco Gonzaga and Paola...
, Lord of SabbionetaSabbionetaSabbioneta is a town and comune in the province of Mantua, Lombardy region, northern Italy. It is situated about 30 km north of Parma, not far from the northern bank of the Po River...
. - Alberto Carlo d'Este (born and deceased in 1421).
He married thirdly Ricciarda of Saluzzo in 1429. She was a daughter of Thomas III of Saluzzo
Thomas III of Saluzzo
-Biography:He was born in Saluzzo in north-western Italy to Frederick II del Vasto and Beatrice of Geneva. His maternal grandfather was Hugh of Geneva, Lord of Gex, Anthon and Varey....
and Marguerite of Roussy. They had two children:
- Ercole d'Este IErcole d'Este IErcole 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:...
((October 26, 1431 – June 15, 1505). - Sigimondo d'Este (1433 - 1 April 1507).
He also had eleven illegitimate children:
- Ugo d'EsteUgo d'EsteUgo d'Este, also known as Hugh Aldobrandino , was the son of Niccolò III d'Este and his lover Stella de' Tolomei.-Infancy:...
. Executed by his father on 21 May 1425 for allegedly having an affair with his stepmother Parisina MalatestaHouse of MalatestaThe House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as other lands and towns in Romagna.Malatesta da Verucchio The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and... - Meliaduse d'Este, Abbot of Pomposa and Ferrara, (1406 - 1452). Son by Caterina of MediciMediciThe House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
. - Leonello d'EsteLeonello d'Estethumb|220px|Leonello D'Este portrayed by Pisanello.Leonello d'Este was marquis of Ferrara and Duke of Modena and Reggio Emilia from 1441 to 1450.-Biography:...
(1407 - 1450). Son by Stella de' Tolomei. - Borso d'EsteBorso d'Estethumb|Borso d'Este, attributed to [[Vicino da Ferrara]], [[Pinacoteca]] of the [[Castello Sforzesco|Sforza Castle]] in [[Milan]], [[Italy]].Borso d'Este was the first Duke of Ferrara, which he ruled from 1450 until his death...
(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 first Oddantonio da MontefeltroOddantonio da MontefeltroOddantonio da Montefeltro was the first duke of Urbino in Italy.Oddantonio succeeded his father Guidantonio as count of Urbino. He was the half-brother of Federico da Montefeltro. The testamentary division of the county between Oddantonio and Federico is not known; nor is the relationship between...
, Duke of Urbino and secondly Stephen 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 of CamerinoCamerinoCamerino is a small town of 7.135 inhabitants in the Marches , in the province of Macerata, Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about 40 miles from Ancona....
.