Azzo VII d'Este

Azzo VII d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara (also known as ''Novello''; 1205 – 16 February 1264) was marquis of

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 ...

from 1215 to 1222, and again from 1240 until his death. The son of

Azzo VI d'Este Azzo VI (1170 – November 1212), also known as Azzolino, was an Italian nobleman and condottiero. He held the title of Marquis of Este (''marchio Eystensis'') from the death of his father, Azzo V (1190) until his death. Biography He was heavi ...

and a noblewoman from the

Aldobrandeschi The Aldobrandeschi were an Italian noble family from southern Tuscany. Overview Of probable Lombard origin, they appear in history as counts in the 9th century. The first known count was Hildebrand II (857). Their possession extended to what i ...

family, he married in 1225. He became the leader of the

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

forces in the

March of Ancona The March of Ancona ( or ''Anconetana'') was a frontier march centred on the city of Ancona and later Fermo then Macerata in the Middle Ages. Its name is preserved as an Italian region today, the Marche, and it corresponds to almost the entire ...

and had to face the invasion of Duke Rainald of Spoleto during the

War of the Keys The War of the Keys (1228–1230) was the first military conflict between Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Papacy. Fighting took place in central and southern Italy. The Papacy made strong gains at first, securing the Papal States and in ...

in 1228–1230. In 1242 Azzo took the chance to capture Ferrara in 1242, after defeating

Ezzelino III da Romano Ezzelino III da Romano (25 April 1194, Tombolo7 October 1259) was an Italian feudal lord, a member of the Ezzelino family, in the March of Treviso (in modern Veneto). He was a close ally of the emperor Frederick II ( r. 1220–1250), and ruled ...

, and established his family's lordship in the city, which lasted until late Renaissance times. In 1259, he again defeated Ezzelino and his Ghibellines troops in the Battle of Cassano. He married two times, and had one son, Rinaldo (born after 1221), who was captured by Frederick II and died as prisoner in

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(1251). He had three daughters: Cubitosa (died in 1275), Constanza (died in 1315), and Beatrice (died in 1262). He was succeeded by his grandson Obizzo. {{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Azzo 07 1205 births 1264 deaths Azzo 07 13th-century Italian nobility