Niccolò III d'Este (9 November 1383 – 26 December 1441) was

Marquess of Ferrara Emperor Frederick III conferred Borso d'Este, Lord of Ferrara, with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1452, while Pope Paul II formally elevated him in 1471 as Duke of Ferrara, over which the family had in fact long presided. This latter territo ...

from 1393 until his death. He was also a

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Euro ...

Biography

Born in

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

, the son of

Alberto d'Este Alberto (V) d'Este (27 February 1347 – 30 July 1393) was lord of Ferrara and Modena from 1388 until his death. He was associated in the lordship of the House of Este by his brother Niccolò II d'Este, Niccolò in 1361, becoming the sole rul ...

and Isotta Albaresani, he inherited the rule of the city in 1393 when only 10 years old. As a minor he was guided by a Regency Council supported by the Republics of Venice,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

and

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

. In 1395 the troops of the Regency Council were attacked at the Battle of Portomaggiore by Niccolò's relative Azzo X d'Este, a descendant of

Obizzo II d'Este Obizzo II d'Este (c. 1247 – 13 February 1293) was Marquis of Ferrara and Ancona. Biography He was a bastard, the illegitimate son of Rinaldo I d'Este – the only son and heir of the Margrave Azzo VII d'Este – and a Neapolitan laundress. S ...

, who contested Niccolò's right to rule in Ferrara due to his illegitimate birth, even though Niccolò had been legitimated by his father. However, Azzo's mercenary forces were defeated in the battle and Azzo himself taken prisoner and subsequently imprisoned by

Astorre I Manfredi Astorre Manfredi (c. 1345 – November 28, 1405) was an Italian condottiero. He was the son of Giovanni Manfredi, who had been lord of Faenza (today's Emilia-Romagna) and other castles in the area before the Papal reconquest. Astorre lived for ...

, commander of the Regency Council forces, thus removing the threat to Niccolò's rule. In 1397 Niccolò married Gigliola

da Carrara The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405. Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Trevi ...

, daughter of Francesco II da Carrara, lord of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

. In 1403 he joined the league formed against Gian Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, being appointed

Captain General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Comma ...

of the Papal Army by

Pope Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX ( la, Bonifatius IX; it, Bonifacio IX; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope of the Western Schism.Rich ...

. In 1405 he ceded the ancestral family lands near Este to Venice. In 1410 the fighting master Fiore dei Liberi dedicated his treatise, the Fior di Battaglia, to him. In 1413 he made a pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

. In 1418 he remarried to

Parisina Malatesta Laura Malatesta (140421 May 1425), better known as Parisina Malatesta, was an Italian marchioness. She was the daughter of Andrea Malatesta, lord of Cesena, and his second wife, Lucrezia Ordelaffi. She had an affair with her illegitimate stepson, ...

, daughter of Andrea Malatesta. Two years later, fearing the ambitions of

Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447)

, he ceded to him the possession of

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...

. In 1425 Niccolò had both his wife Parisina and his illegitimate son Ugo executed on charges of adultery, as well as decreeing that all women within his domains found to be guilty of adultery were to be put to death. He had to rescind this order once it was determined that this action would depopulate Ferrara. In that year he was again commander-in-chief of the anti-Visconti league. In 1429 his illegitimate son was named heir of the Marquisate. The role of Niccolò as a prestigious leader in Italy was confirmed when his city was chosen as the seat of a

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

in 1438.

Marriages and children

Niccolò had children with at least eleven different women. He married first

Gigliola da Carrara Gigliola da Carrara (1379–1416) was the Marchioness of Ferrara, daughter of Francesco Novello da Carrara, lord of Padua, son of Francesco I da Carrara, and Taddea d'Este. The 13 years old Marchioness of Ferrara married the Marquis Niccolò III ...

, daughter of Francesco II da Carrara, lord of

in June 1397. She died of the plague in 1416. They had no known children. He married secondly

, daughter of Andrea Malatesta. He had her executed on 21 May 1425 for allegedly having an affair with his illegitimate son Ugo d'Este. They had three children: *

Ginevra d'Este Ginevra d'Este (24 March 1419 - 12 October 1440) was an Italian noblewoman. She and her twin sister Lucia (died 1437) were daughters of Niccolò III d'Este and his second wife Parisina Malatesta - they also had a younger brother, who died aged a f ...

(born 1419). Married her maternal relative Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta. *Luzia d'Este (24 March 1419 – 28 June 1437). Married

Carlo Gonzaga of Milan Carlo Gonzaga (died 21 December 1456), Lord of Sabbioneta, was an Italian nobleman of the Mantuan House of Gonzaga who rose to the position of Captain of the People in the Ambrosian Republic of Milan, and eventually ruled practically as an autocra ...

, Lord of Sabbioneta. *Alberto Carlo d'Este (born and deceased in 1421). He married thirdly

Ricciarda of Saluzzo Ricciardia, Marchioness of Saluzzo (1410 – 16 August 1474, Ferrara) was an Italian noblewoman. She was the daughter of Thomas III, Marquess of Saluzzo and his French wife Marguerite de Pierrepont, daughter of Ugo II de Pierrepont, count of Ron ...

in 1429. She was a daughter of Thomas III of Saluzzo and Marguerite of Pierrepont. They had two children: *

Ercole I d'Este Ercole I d'Este KG (English: ''Hercules I''; 26 October 1431 – 25 January 1505) was Duke of Ferrara from 1471 until 1505. He was a member of the House of Este. He was nicknamed ''North Wind'' and ''The Diamond''. Biography Ercole was born i ...

(26 October 1431 – 15 June 1505). * Sigismondo d'Este (1433 – 1 April 1507). He also had eleven illegitimate children: * Ugo d'Este (1405-1425). Son by Stella de' Tolomei. Executed by his father on 21 May 1425 for allegedly having an affair with his stepmother Parisina Malatesta *Meliaduse d'Este, Abbot of Pomposa and Ferrara, (1406–1452). Son by Caterina of

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...

. * Leonello d'Este (1407–1450). Son by Stella de’ Tolomei. *Margherita d'Este (1411-1452). Married Galeotto Roberto Malatesta (1411-1432). Married Galassio II Pio. * Borso d'Este (1413–1471). Son by Stella de' Tolomei. *Alberto d'Este (1415 – 8 April 1502). Son by Filippa della Tavola. *Isotta d'Este (1425–1456). Daughter by Filippa della Tavola. Married first Oddantonio da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino and secondly Stjepan III Frankopan Modruški (Stephen Frangipani), Prince of Krk, Senj and

Modruš Modruš is a village, former bishopric and current Latin Catholic titular see in the mountainous part of Croatia, located south of its municipality's seat Josipdol (Karlovac County), on the easternmost slopes of Velika Kapela mountain, in nort ...

, a member of

Frankopan The House of Frankopan ( hr, Frankopani, Frankapani, it, Frangipani, hu, Frangepán, la, Frangepanus, Francopanus), was a Croatian noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croat ...

noble family (Croatia). *Beatrice d'Este (1427–1497). Married Niccolò of Correggio. *Rinaldo d'Este, Lord of Ostellato (c. 1435 – 1535). Son by Anna de Roberti. *Bianca Maria d'Este (18 December 1440 – 12 January 1506). Daughter by Anna de Roberti. Married

Galeotto I Pico Galeotto I Pico della Mirandola (3 August 1442 - 9 April 1499) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, Signore of Mirandola and Concordia. He was noted by contemporaries for his tyranny. The son of Gianfrancesco I Pico, Galeotto initially alli ...

, Lord della Mirandola. *Gurone d'Este (d. 1484). An Abbot. *Camilla d'Este. Married Rodolfo da Varano of Camerino.

References

* L. A. Muratori. ''Delle antichità Estensi''. 1717, Modena; * G. B. Pigna. ''Historia dei Principi d'Este''. 1570, Ferrara. * Antonio Menniti Ippolito, Este, Niccolò III d’, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, XLIII, Roma 1993, pp. 396–403.

Footnotes

External links

A listing of descendants of the d'Este family

{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Niccolo 03 1383 births 1441 deaths Niccolo 3 Margraves of Ferrara 15th-century condottieri 14th-century Italian nobility Burials at the Corpus Domini Monastery, Ferrara Lords of Faenza