Obizzo III d'Este (14 July 1294 – 20 March 1352) was the
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 terr ...
from 1317 until his death.
He was the son of
Aldobrandino II d'Este
Aldobrandino II d'Este (died 1326) was the Marquess of Ferrara from 1308 until his death.
He was the son of Obizzo II d'Este and Jacopina Fieschi, the niece of Pope Adrian V
Pope Adrian V (Latin: ''Adrianus V''; c. 1210/1220 – 18 Aug ...
and Alda Rangoni.
Life
Obizzo was
lord of Ferrara together with his brothers
Rinaldo and
Niccolò Niccolò is an Italian male given name, derived from the Greek Nikolaos meaning "Victor of people" or "People's champion".
There are several male variations of the name: Nicolò, Niccolò, Nicolas, and Nicola. The female equivalent is Nicole. The fe ...
, and his cousin Folco II, but in the end reigned as sole ruler. He managed to enlarge the family possessions with the conquests of
Modena (1336) and
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 mos ...
(1344–1346).
In May 1317 Obizzo married firstly Giacoma (d. 1341), daughter of Romeo de' Peppoli from Bologna, with whom he had no children. There are also reports that he married Elisabeth of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia, daughter of
Albert II, Duke of Saxony.
In 1347 Obizzo married secondly Lippa Ariosti, known as ''la Bella'' and his long-time mistress. The marriage took place shortly before Lippa's death on 27 November 1347 in order to legitimize their many children:
* Beatrice (18 September 1332 – 1387), married in 1365 to
Waldemar I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
Waldemar I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (died 7 January 1368) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst.
He was the youngest son of Albert I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, by his second wife Agnes, daughter ...
.
* Alda (18 July 1333 – 1381), married in 1356 to
Ludovico II Gonzaga.
* Rinaldo (10 October 1334 – 20 July 1348), died young.
*
Aldobrandino III (14 September 1335 – 2/3 November 1361).
* Alisia (18 March 1337 – 12 August 1402), married in 1349 to Guido III Novello di Polenta, Lord of Ravenna.
*
Niccolò II (17 May 1338 – 26 March 1388).
* Azzo (14 March 1340 – 18 September 1349), died in infancy.
* Folco (1342–1356), died young.
* Costanza (25 July 1343 – 13 February 1391), married in 1363 to
Malatesta IV Malatesta, Lord of Rimini.
*
Alberto
Alberto is the Romance languages, Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic languages, Germanic ''Albert (given name), Albert''. It is used in Italian language, Italian, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Spanish language, ...
(1347 – 30 July 1393).
In addition, Obizzo had another illegitimate son by an unknown mistress, Giovanni (1324–1389), later Governor of Frignano, who was also legitimized.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Obizzo 3
1294 births
1352 deaths
Obizzo 3
Obizzo 3
14th-century Italian nobility