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

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...

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Biography

Born 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...

, Cesare was the son of Alfonso d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio

Alfonso d'Este, Lord of Montecchio

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...

, fourth 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 the cousin of Alfonso II d'Este, duke of Ferrara and Modena.
When the latter died without heirs in the October 1597, Cesare inherited the duchy.

The legitimacy of the succession was recognised by the Emperor Rudolph II but not by Pope Clement VIII

Pope Clement VIII

Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...

: thus, as Ferrara was nominally a Papal fief, the city was returned to the Papal States

Papal States

The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...

, despite the attempts of the young duke, who sought help from the Major Powers

Historical powers

Historical powers include great powers, nations, or empires in history.The term "Great power" represent the most important world powers. In a modern context, recognised great powers came about first in Europe during the post-Napoleonic era. The formalization of the division between small powers and...

 to no avail.

The capital was therefore moved to 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....

, which he entered on January 30, 1598. His first years were troublesome: he had to face the quarrels between the Modenese and Ferrarese nobles who had come with him, the attempt at independence of Maro Pio of Sassuolo

Sassuolo

Sassuolo is an important industrial centre of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The town stands on the right bank of the river Secchia some 17 km south-west of Modena.-History :...

, and a war against Lucca

Lucca

Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...

 for the possession of Garfagnana

Garfagnana

Garfagnana is an historical region of Italy, today part of the province of Lucca in the Apennines, in northwest Tuscany, but before the unification of Italy it belonged to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, ruled by the Este family. For a short time, in the 16th century, it was governed by the poet...

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On January 30, 1586 he 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:...

, daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, who suffered increasing symptoms of madness

Insanity

Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...

, until her death in 1615. He was succeeded by his son, Alfonso

Alfonso III d'Este

Alfonso III d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1628 to 1629. He was the husband of Princess Isabella of Savoy, daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and his wife Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain.- Biography :...

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Issue

• Giulia d'Este (1588–1645) died unmarried;
• Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena (1591–1644);

Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena;

• Laura d'Este (1594–1630) married Alessandro I Pico, Duke of Mirandola and had issue;
• Luigi d'Este, Lord of Montecchio and Scandiano (1593/1594–1664), had issue;
• Caterina d'Este (1595–1618) died unmarried;
• Ippolito d'Este (1599–1647) died unmarried;
• Niccolo d'Este (1601–1640) married Sveva d'Avalos, no issue;
• Borso d'Este (1605–1657) married Ippolita d'Este (daughter of his brother Luigi) and had issue;

Maria Angela Caterina d'Este

Maria Angela Caterina d'Este

Maria Angela Caterina d'Este was an Italian born Princess of Modena who was later the Princess of Carignano by marriage. She was the wife of Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano. In France she was known as Angélique Catherine d'Este and in Modena and Savoy she was known as Maria...

• Foresto d'Este (1606–1639/1640)
• Angela Caterina d'Este (died 1651), died unmarried, nun

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External links

• Il Castello Estense: genealogical tree