Alfonso d'Este was an Italian nobleman. He was the illegitimate son of Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara by his lover Laura Dianti

Laura Dianti

Laura Dianti was a lover of Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara after the death of his wife Lucrezia Borgia. She was probably also his third wife She was also known under the pseudonym Eustochia....

. In 1523 his father gave him Montecchio

Montecchio

Montecchio is a comune in the Province of Terni in the Italian region Umbria, located about 50 km south of Perugia and about 30 km northwest of Terni....

 and turned it into a feudal inheritance for cadet members of his family - in 1569 it was promoted to a marquessate by Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor

Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor

Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...

.

Alfonso was legitimated in 1532 by cardinal Innocenzo Cybo

Innocenzo Cybo

Innocenzo Cybo was an Italian cardinal and archbishop.-Family and education:From the Genoese family Cibo or Cybo, in 1488 the Cybo family purchased Florentine citizenship for a considerable sum of money   Innocenzo was born in Florence on 25 August 1491 to Franceschetto Cybo and...

 and in 1533 by his father Alfonso I. His first marriage followed on 3 January 1549, to Giulia della Rovere (1525–1563), daughter of Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke of Urbino and Eleonora Gonzaga, with whom he had:

• Alfonso d'Este (1560–1578), married Marfisa d'Este;
• Cesare d'Este
  Cesare d'Este
  Cesare d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1597 until his death. During his reign, in 1598, the House of Este lost the Duchy of Ferrara.-Biography:...
  
   (1562-1628), married Virginia de' Medici
  Virginia de' Medici
  Virginia de' Medici was an illegitimate daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Camilla Martelli. She was the Duchess of Modena and Reggio by marriage to Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena.-Biography:...
  
   but not recognised by pope Clement VIII
  Pope Clement VIII
  Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
  
   as Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara's successor, died childless. The Este family thus lost the duchy of Ferrara
  Duchy of Ferrara
  The Duchy of Ferrara is a former sovereign state of northern Italy.Obizzo II d'Este was proclaimed lifelong ruler of Ferrara in 1264. He also became seignior of nearby Modena in 1288 and of Reggio in 1289...
  
  ;
• Eleonora d'Este (1561-1637), married Carlo Gesualdo di Venosa
  Carlo Gesualdo
  Carlo Gesualdo, known as Gesualdo di Venosa or Gesualdo da Venosa , Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza, was an Italian nobleman, lutenist, composer, and murderer....
  
  ;
• Ippolita d'Este (1565-1602), married Federico Pico, duke of Mirandola
  Mirandola
  Mirandola is a city and comune of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, 31 km northeast of the provincial capital by railway.- History :Mirandola originated as a Renaissance city-fortress...
  
  .

He also had one illegitimate child:

• Alessandro d'Este (1568-1624), 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...
  
  .

In 1584 he married Violante Signa, though that marriage remained childless.

Note

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