Maria Caterina Farnese (18 February 1615 – 25 July 1646) was a member of the

Ducal Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

House of Farnese The House of Farnese (, also , ) was an influential family in Renaissance Italy. The titles of Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Duke of Latera and Duke of Castro were held by various members of the family. Its most important members included Po ...

. She was

Duchess of Modena Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

as the first wife of

Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena Francesco I d'Este (6 September 1610 – 14 October 1658) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1629 until his death. The eldest son of Alfonso III d'Este, he became reigning duke after his father's abdication. Biography Born on 6 September 1610 ...

. In some sources she is known simply as ''Maria Farnese''.

Biography

Born in

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma Ranuccio I Farnese (28 March 1569 – 5 March 1622) reigned as Duke of Parma, Duke of Piacenza, Piacenza and Duchy of Castro, Castro from 1592. A firm believer in absolute monarchy, Ranuccio, in 1594, centralised the administration of Parma and ...

and his wife, ''Donna''

Margherita Aldobrandini Margherita Aldobrandini (29 March 1588 — 9 August 1646), was an Italian noblewoman member of the Aldobrandini family and by marriage Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza during 1600–1622. She was also Regent of both Duchies during 1626–162 ...

, she was the couple’s sixth child and second daughter. Her older brother

Odoardo Farnese Odoardo Farnese may refer to: *Odoardo Farnese (cardinal) (1573–1626) * Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma (1612–1646) *Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma Odoardo Farnese (12 August 1666 – 6 September 1693) was the eldest son of Duke ...

was later the

Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a List of historic states of Italy, historical state of Northern Italy. It was created by Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) for his son Pier Luigi Farnese, Du ...

. Her mother was

, daughter of Gianfrancesco and

Olimpia Aldobrandini Olimpia Aldobrandini (20 April 1623 – 18 December 1681) was rich and powerfull Italian nobility, Italian noblewoman. By birth, she was member of an old and influential Aldobrandini family of Rome, and the sole heiress to the great family fort ...

who in turn, was a member of the House of Aldobrandini of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and the sole heiress to the family fortune. She was engaged to

, son of the defunct

Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena Alfonso III d'Este (22 October 1591 – 24 May 1644) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1628 to 1629. He was the husband of Princess Isabella of Savoy, daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and his wife Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spa ...

and

Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

Isabella of Savoy Isabella of Savoy (2 March 1591 – 28 August 1626) was a daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michelle of Spain. Her maternal grandparents were Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth of Valois, and her paternal grandparents were ...

. She married Francesco on 11 January 1631 in

; the marriage produced nine children, three of which went on to have progeny. She died in July 1646, having given birth to a son. She died at the Ducal Palace of Sassuolo outside Modena, the summer residence of the Dukes of Modena. Her nephew

Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma Ranuccio II Farnese (17 September 1630 – 11 December 1694) was the sixth Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1646 until his death nearly 50 years later. He was also the Duke of Castro from 1646 until 1649. Biography Birth and Succession Ranuccio ...

married two of Maria Caterina's daughters,

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...

in 1664 and

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

in 1668. Isabella died in childbirth like her mother. Her husband married again twice, firstly to her sister Vittoria Farnese in 1648 and then to Lucrezia Barberini who was the mother of

Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena Rinaldo may refer to: *Renaud de Montauban (also spelled Renaut, Renault, Italian: Rinaldo di Montalbano, Dutch: Reinout van Montalbaen, German: Reinhold von Montalban), a legendary knight in the medieval Matter of France * Rinaldo (''Jerusalem Lib ...

Issue

#Alfonso d'Este, Hereditary Prince of Modena (1632) died in infancy. # Alfonso IV d'Este, Duke of Modena (2 February 1634 – 16 July 1662) married Laura Martinozzi and had issue. #

Isabella d'Este Isabella d'Este (19 May 1474 – 13 February 1539) was the Marchioness of Mantua and one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance as a major cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts as well as a leader of fashion ...

(3 October 1635 – 21 August 1666) married

and had issue. #Eleonora d'Este (1639–1640) died in infancy. #Tedaldo d'Este (1640–1643) died in infancy. #Almerigo d'Este (8 May 1641 – 14 November 1660) died unmarried. # Eleonora d'Este (1643 – 24 February 1722) died unmarried. #

Maria d'Este Maria d'Este (8 December 1644 – 20 August 1684) was a Modenese princess and Duchess of Parma as the wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma. She was a daughter of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and Maria Caterina Farnese. Family Mar ...

(8 December 1644 – 20 August 1684) married

and had issue. #Tedaldo d'Este (1646) died in infancy.

Ancestry

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnese, Maria Caterina 1615 births 1646 deaths Maria Caterina House of Este Nobility from Parma Deaths in childbirth Maria Caterina Maria Caterina 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century Italian women Daughters of dukes Mothers of Italian monarchs