Francesco III d'Este
Encyclopedia
Francesco III was Duke of Modena and Reggio
from 1737 until his death.
, the son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
During his reign, the duchy was bankrupted by the Wars of the Spanish, Polish, and Austrian Successions. As a result, Francesco was forced to sell the most precious artworks of the Estense Gallery. He was a careful administrator but most of the duchy's financial policy was in the hands of the Austrian plenipotentiary, Beltrame Cristiani.
Among his measures, the urban renovation of Modena and the construction of the Via Vandelli, connecting the city to Tuscany
.
Francesco also was the interim Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1754 and 1771.
He died in 1780 in his villa at Varese
. His son Ercole III d'Este succeeded him.
and Françoise Marie de Bourbon (illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan) and had ten children.
He acted as proxy groom for his sister Henrietta Maria d'Este in 1728 who was marrying Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
.
After his first wife's death, he remarried twice more morganatically
to Teresa Castelberco and Renata Teresa d'Harrach.
Duchy of Reggio
The Duchy of Reggio was one of the states that belonged to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, ruled by the house of Este, in the north of Italy, in a territory now belonging to the Province of Reggio Emilia. The capital was Reggio....
from 1737 until his death.
Biography
He was born in ModenaModena
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 son of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
During his reign, the duchy was bankrupted by the Wars of the Spanish, Polish, and Austrian Successions. As a result, Francesco was forced to sell the most precious artworks of the Estense Gallery. He was a careful administrator but most of the duchy's financial policy was in the hands of the Austrian plenipotentiary, Beltrame Cristiani.
Among his measures, the urban renovation of Modena and the construction of the Via Vandelli, connecting the city to Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
.
Francesco also was the interim Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1754 and 1771.
He died in 1780 in his villa at Varese
Varese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
. His son Ercole III d'Este succeeded him.
Family and children
In 1721, he married Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (1700–1761), a daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of OrléansPhilippe 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...
and Françoise Marie de Bourbon (illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan) and had ten children.
He acted as proxy groom for his sister Henrietta Maria d'Este in 1728 who was marrying 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...
.
After his first wife's death, he remarried twice more morganatically
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
to Teresa Castelberco and Renata Teresa d'Harrach.
Issue
- Alfonso d'Este (18 November 1723 - 16 June 1725) died in infancy.
- Francesco Constantino d'Este (22 November 1724 - 16 June 1725) died in infancy.
- Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este (6 October 1726 - 30 April 1754) married Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon and had issue.
- Ercole d'EsteErcole III d'Este, Duke of ModenaErcole III d'Este was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1780 to 1796. He was a member of the House of Este.-Biography:...
(22 November 1727 - 14 October 1803) married Maria Teresa Cybo Malaspina and had issue. - Matilde d'Este (7 February 1729 - 14 November 1803) died unmarried.
- Beatrice d'Este (14 July 1730 - 12 July 1731) died in infancy.
- Beatrice d'Este (24 November 1731 - 3 April 1736) died in infancy.
- Maria Fortunata d'EsteMaria Fortunata d'EsteMaria Fortunata d'Este was a Modenese princess by birth and a princess of the blood of France by marriage. By her marriage to a second cousin Louis François Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, she became the Countess of La Marche and later the Princess of Conti and was a member of the French court...
(24 November 1731 - 21 September 1803) married Louis François de BourbonLouis François II de Bourbon, prince de ContiLouis François Joseph de Bourbon was Prince of Conti, succeeding his father Louis François de Bourbon. His mother was Louise Diane d'Orléans, the youngest daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, duc d'Orléans, the Regent of France during the minority of King Louis XV of France...
, no issue. - Benedetto Filippo d'Este (30 September 1736 - 16 September 1751) died unmarried.
- Maria Elisabetta Ernestina d'Este (12 February 1741 - 4 August 1774) died unmarried.