Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara
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Alfonso II d'Este (November 22, 1533-1597) was duke of Ferrara from 1559 to 1597. He was a member of the house of Este. He was the elder son of Ercole II d'Este and Renée de France, the daughter of Louis XII of France and Anne of Brittany. As a young man, he fought in the service of Henry II of France, fighting against the Habsburgs.
He raised the glory of Ferrara to its highest point, and was the patron of Torquato Tasso and Giovanni Battista Guarini, favouring the arts and sciences, as the princes of his house had always done. Luzzasco Luzzaschi served as his court organist.
Marriages
He married three times:
- On July 3, 1558, Alfonso married his first wife Lucrezia de Medici June 7, 1545 - April 21, 1561). She was a daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo.
- On December 5, 1565, Alfonso married his second wife Barbara of Austria (April 30, 1539 - September 19, 1572), eighth daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary.
- On February 24, 1579, Alfonso married his third wife Margherita Gonzaga (May 27, 1564 - January 6, 1618). She was the eldest daughter of William I, Duke of Mantua and Eleonora of Austria. Eleonora was an older sister of his second wife Barbara.
Succession
The legitimate line ended in 1597 with him. Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor recognized as heir his cousin Cesare d'Este (1533-1628), member of a cadet branch, who continued to rule in the imperial duchies and carried on the family name. Ferrara, on the other hand, was annexed in 1598 by Pope Clement VIII on grounds of doubtful legitimacy and incorporated into the Papal States.External links
- () [Illustrious People]
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