Rinaldo d'Este
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with his uncle, Rinaldo d'Este (1618-1672).
Rinaldo d'Este (26 April 1655 – 26 October 1737) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1695 until his death. He was succeeded by his son.
Biography
Born at the Ducal Palace of ModenaDucal Palace of Modena
The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:...
, he was the only son of the third marriage of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena. His mother was Lucrezia Barberini
Lucrezia Barberini
Lucrezia Barberini was an Italian noblewoman and, by marriage, Duchess of Modena. Born into the Barberini family, she was the last wife of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena.-Biography:...
, daughter of Taddeo Barberini
Taddeo Barberini
Taddeo Barberini was an Italian nobleman of the House of Barberini who became Prince of Palestrina and Gonfalonier of the Church; commander of the Papal Army. He was a nephew of Pope Urban VIII and brother of Cardinals Francesco Barberini and Antonio Barberini...
and Anna Colonna
Anna Colonna
Anna Colonna was an Italian noblewoman of the Colonna and Barberini families and Princess of Paliano-Biography:Colonna was born in 1601; the daughter of Filippo Colonna, Prince of Paliano and Lucrezia Tomacelli, dei signori di Galatro, and was thus Princess of Paliano.On 14 October 1627, at age...
.
Created cardinal in 1686, he left the ecclesiastical career in 1694 to succeed his nephew Francesco II
Francesco II d'Este
Francesco II d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1662 to 1694.He was born in Modena to Alfonso IV d'Este, duke of Modena, and Laura Martinozzi, niece of Cardinal Mazarin. His sister, Mary of Modena, married the future James II of England in 1673 and became queen of England in 1685.He became...
as duke. He married Princess Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1671–1710), eldest daughter of Johann Friedrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate was a German princess, the third and youngest daughter of Edward of the Palatinate and his French wife, the political hostess Anna Gonzaga...
. He hoped that this marriage to a German princess would provide him needed support from the various German royal houses, including the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s, who were connected to his wife by blood.
Rinaldo married Charlotte in 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 11 February 1696. Rinaldo wanted to encourage relations between Modena and Brunswick, whose ruling house was the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. The marriage was celebrated splendidly despite financial problems in Modena; the artist Marcantonio Franceschini
Marcantonio Franceschini
Marcantonio Franceschini , was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mostly in his native Bologna. He was the father and teacher of Giacomo Franceschini.-Biography :...
was commissioned to paint a room, the Salone d'onore at the ducal palace in honour of the marriage.
Charlotte died at the Ducal Palace of Modena
Ducal Palace of Modena
The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy.-History:...
after giving birth to a daughter in September 1710. The child also died. She was buried at the Church of San Vincenzo in Modena. Her son succeeded as Duke of Modena in 1737.
His first move as duke was to reduce the price of the grain and to improve the conditions of life of the peasants.
At the outbreak of the War of Spanish Succession (1702) he declared neutrality, but this did not prevent the French troops from capturing 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....
. The Duke was forced to flee to Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. In 1707, after a long siege in which Rinaldo took part, German troops ousted the French from his capital. In the resulting peace treaty, Rinaldo acquired the Duchy of Mirandola
Duchy of Mirandola
The Duchy of Mirandola was a state which existed in Italy from 1310 until 1711, centered in Mirandola and ruled by the Pico family.-History:...
, but lost Comacchio
Comacchio
Comacchio is a town and comune of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, 48 km from the provincial capital Ferrara.-Geography:...
. In 1721, he attempted to establish friendlier relationship with France by marrying his son Francesco
Francesco III d'Este
Francesco III was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1737 until his death.-Biography:He was born in Modena, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg....
with Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans
Charlotte Aglaé of Orléans
Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, was the Duchess of Modena and Reggio by marriage. She was the third daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, , and of his wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. She was born a princesse du sang...
, the 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...
, the Régent
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....
of France during the childhood of King Louis XV. Charlotte Aglaé received an enormous dowry of 1.8 million livres, half of which was contributed in the name of the young king, Louis XV, on orders of the Regent. From her adopted country, Charlote Aglaé received a trousseau consisting of diamonds and portraits of her future husband. However the marriage proved troublesome, mainly due to his new daughter-in-law's licentious behaviour.
In order to keep peace at court, Rinaldo had to build for them a separate residence in Rivalta. Also a failure was an attempt to obtain the Duchy of Parma
Duchy of Parma
The Duchy of Parma was created in 1545 from that part of the Duchy of Milan south of the Po River, as a fief for Pope Paul III's illegitimate son, Pier Luigi Farnese, centered on the city of Parma....
through the marriage of his daughter, Enrichetta, with Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
Antonio Farnese was the eighth and ultimate Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza. He married, in 1727, Enrichetta d'Este of Modena with the intention of begetting an heir; the marriage, however, was childless, leading to the succession of Charles of Spain–whose mother, Elisabeth Farnese, was...
. When the duke died without an heir, Elisabeth Farnese, the Queen of Spain, acquired the duchy for her son, Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
, a member of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
.
In 1733 the War of Polish Succession began. Rinaldo, though nominally neutral, sided secretly for Austria. Again French troops forced him to move to Bologna, but a peace in 1736 was again favourable for the Este, who obtained the county of Novellara
Novellara
Novellara is a town and comune in the province of Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, with some 13,500 inhabitants. It is 19 km north of Reggio Emilia and has a railway station for the local train going from Reggio to Guastalla.-History:...
and Bagnolo
Bagnolo in Piano
Bagnolo in Piano is a comune in the Province of Reggio Emilia in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 60 km northwest of Bologna and about 8 km northeast of Reggio nell'Emilia...
.
Rinaldo was succeeded by his son Francesco
Francesco III d'Este
Francesco III was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1737 until his death.-Biography:He was born in Modena, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg....
.
Issue
- Benedetta Maria Ernesta d'Este (18 Aug 1697–16 September 1777) died unmarried;
- Francesco d'Este (2 July 1698–22 February 1780) future Duke of Modena; married Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans and had issue;
- Amalia Giuseppina d'Este (28 Jul 1699–5 July 1778) married the Marquis of Villeneuf, had no issue;
- Gian Federico d'Este (1 September 1700–24 April 1727)
- Enrichetta d'EsteEnrichetta d'EsteEnrichetta d'Este was an Italian noblewoman. She was the Duchess of Parma by marriage to Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma, who was her first cousin as well as an uncle of Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain....
(27 May 1702–30 January 1777) married Antonio Farnese, Duke of ParmaAntonio Farnese, Duke of ParmaAntonio Farnese was the eighth and ultimate Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza. He married, in 1727, Enrichetta d'Este of Modena with the intention of begetting an heir; the marriage, however, was childless, leading to the succession of Charles of Spain–whose mother, Elisabeth Farnese, was...
had no issue; married Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, grandson of Louis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-DarmstadtLouis VI, Landgrave of Hesse-DarmstadtLouis VI of Hesse-Darmstadt was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1661 to 1678.He was the eldest of three sons of the Landgrave George II of Hesse-Darmstadt and Sophia Eleonore of Saxony.- Marriage and children :...
, had no issue; - Clemente d'Este (20 April 1708–23 April 1708) died in infancy;
- X d'Este (September 1710) female, died at birth;