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Alfonso IV Of Modena
Alfonso IV d'Este (2 February 1634 – 16 July 1662) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1658 until his death. He was the father of Mary of Modena, consort of James II of England. Alfonso was born in Modena, the eldest son of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena, and his first wife, Maria Caterina Farnese. He became Duke of Modena and Reggio after his father's death in 1658. Alfonso's health was poor and he suffered from gout and tuberculosis. He died four years into his reign. In 1655 he married Laura Martinozzi, Cardinal Mazarin's niece, thus strengthening his alliance with France. On Laura's sixteenth birthday, 27 May 1655, she was married to the Duke of Modena by proxy at the Palace of Compiègne, with the Count of Soissons standing in the place of the Duke of Modena. They had two children, Maria and Francesco Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that n ...
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Justus Sustermans
Justus Sustermans, Joost Sustermans or Suttermans, his given name Italianised to Giusto (Antwerp, 28 September 1597 – Florence, 23 April 1681), was a Flemish painter and draughtsman who is mainly known for his portraits. He also painted history and genre paintings, still lifes and animals.Justus Sustermans
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Cardinal Mazarin
Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis XIV from 1642 to his death. In 1654, he acquired the title Duke of Mayenne and in 1659 that of 1st Duke of Rethel and Nevers. After serving as a papal diplomat for Pope Urban VIII, Mazarin offered his diplomatic services to Cardinal Richelieu and moved to Paris in 1640. After the death of Richelieu in 1642, Mazarin took his place as first minister and then of Louis XIII in 1643. Mazarin acted as the head of the government for Anne of Austria, the regent for the young Louis XIV. Mazarin was also made responsible for the king's education until he came of age. The first years of Mazarin in office were marked by military victories in the Thirty Years' War, which he used to make France the main European power and establish the Peace of West ...
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Olimpia Aldobrandini (1567–1637)
Olimpia Aldobrandini, princess of Meldola (1567 - 28 April 1637) was an Italian noblewoman, known by historians as Olimpia Aldobrandini the Elder to distinguish her from her granddaughter Olimpia Aldobrandini the Younger (1623-1681). Life Born in Rome to Pietro Aldobrandini and Flaminia Ferracci, she was a sister of Pietro Aldobrandini (1571-1621), who was made a cardinal in 1593 by their uncle Pope Clement VIII. In 1585 she married Giovanni Francesco Aldobrandini, first prince of Meldola and Sarsina (1545-1601) and had issue: # Silvestro (1587 – 1612), cardinal; # Margherita (1588 – 1646), married Ranuccio I Farnese, 4th Duke of Parma Piacenza, with whom she had nine children; # Elena (1590 – 1663), married Antonio Carafa della Stadera, fifth Duke of Mondragone, with whom she had three children; # Giovan Giorgio (1591 – 1637), 2nd prince of Meldola and Sarsina, married Ippolita Ludovisi, with whom he had one child Olimpia; # Caterina Lesa (1594 – 1620), married ...
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Infanta Maria Of Guimarães
Infanta Maria of Guimarães (12 August 1538 – 9 July 1577) was a Portuguese infanta, daughter of Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães (son of King Manuel I of Portugal), and Isabel of Braganza. She married Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ... on 11 November 1565. She was Hereditary Princess of Parma by marriage. Issue Ancestry 1538 births 1577 deaths Portuguese infantas Hereditary Princesses of Parma House of Aviz People from Lisbon House of Farnese Burials at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata 16th-century Portuguese people {{Portugal-royal-stub ...
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Alexander Farnese, Duke Of Parma
Alexander Farnese ( it, Alessandro Farnese, es, Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero and later a general of the Spanish army, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592, as well as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592. Thanks to a steady influx of troops from Spain, during 1581–1587 Farnese captured more than thirty towns in the south (now Belgium) and returned them to the control of Catholic Spain. During the French Wars of Religion he relieved Paris for the Catholics. His talents as a field commander, strategist and organizer earned him the regard of his contemporaries and military historians as the first captain of his age. Early life: 1545-1577 Alessandro, born August 27, 1545, was the son of Duke Ottavio Farnese of Parma (a grandchild of Pope Paul III) and Margaret, the illegitimate daughter of the King of Spain and Habsburg Emperor Charles V. He had a twin brother, Carlo, ...
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Infanta Catherine Michelle Of Spain
Catherine Michaela of Spain (; 10 October 1567 – 6 November 1597) was Duchess of Savoy by marriage to Duke Charles Emmanuel I. She ruled the Duchy several times as regent in Charles Emmanuel's absence, notably during his campaign in 1594.Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani – Volume 22 (1979) She was the younger surviving daughter of Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth of Valois. Early life Catherine Michaela was the daughter of Philip II, ruler of the vast Spanish Empire, and his third wife, the French princess Elisabeth of Valois. She was described as beautiful, intelligent, arrogant and well aware of her high social status. Though her father did not attend her christening and was not as rejoiced at the birth of a daughter as he had been with her elder sister, Isabella Clara Eugenia, she had a good relationship with him. Philip and Catherine Michaela exchanged letters throughout her life. She had a close relationship with her sister. They were raised together under the care ...
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Charles Emmanuel I, Duke Of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I ( it, Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630. He was nicknamed (, in context "the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression. Being ambitious and confident, Charles pursued a policy of expansion for his duchy, seeking to expand it into a kingdom. Biography Charles was born in the Castle of Rivoli in Piedmont, the only child of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry. He succeeded his father as duke on 30 August 1580. Well-educated and intelligent, Charles spoke Italian, French, Spanish, as well as Latin. He proved an able warrior although short and hunchbacked. In the autumn of 1588, taking advantage of the civil war weakening France, he occupied the Marquisate of Saluzzo, which was under French protection. The new king, Henry IV, demanded the restitution of that land, but Charles Emmanuel refused, and war ensued. In 1590 he s ...
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Virginia De' Medici
Virginia de' Medici (29 May 1568 – 15 January 1615) was an Italian princess, a member of the House of Medici and by marriage Duchess of Modena and Reggio. Regent of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1601 during the absence of her husband, she was able to protect the autonomy of the city of Modena from the attacks of the local Podestà and Judge. Her husband's infidelities increased her already erratic behavior and led to a permanent mental illness, which lasted until her death. Life Early years Born in Florence on 29 May 1568,Georgia Arrivo: ''Scritture delle donne di casa Medici nei fondi dell’Archivio di Stato di Firenze'' in: archiviodistato.firenze.it (in Italian) ...
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Cesare D'Este, Duke Of Modena
Cesare d'Este (8 October 1562 – 11 December 1628) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1597 until his death. Biography Born in Ferrara, Cesare was the son of Alfonso d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio, fourth son of Alfonso I d'Este and the cousin of Alfonso II d'Este, duke of Ferrara and Modena. When the latter died without heirs in the October 1597, Cesare inherited the duchy. The legitimacy of the succession was recognised by the Emperor Rudolph II but not by Pope Clement VIII: thus, as Ferrara was nominally a Papal fief, the city was returned to the Papal States, despite the attempts of the young duke, who sought help from the major powers to no avail.. The capital was therefore moved to Modena, which he entered on 30 January 1598. His first years were troublesome: he had to face the quarrels between the Modenese and Ferrarese nobles who had come with him, the attempt at independence of Maro Pio of Sassuolo, and a war against Lucca for the possession of Garfagnana. Mar ...
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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 1626–1628 on behalf of her minor son. Life Family and early years Born in the castle of Capodimonte in the Duchy of Castro on 29 March 1588, Margherita was the eldest child and daughter of Gianfrancesco Aldobrandini and Olimpia Aldobrandini, niece of Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini, who became in Pope Clement VIII in 1592. In 1593, at the invitation of her uncle, the pontiff, Margherita's parents moved to Rome. The Pope wanted to strengthen the position of the Aldobrandini family in the Papal States and provided patronage to his relatives. Margherita's father enjoyed special confidence in the pontiff, who bestowed on him the titles of Count of Sarsina and Meldola (later elevated to the rank of Prince in 1597), and her mother was his favorite niece. ...
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Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke Of Parma
Ranuccio I Farnese (28 March 1569 – 5 March 1622) reigned as Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1592. A firm believer in absolute monarchy, Ranuccio, in 1594, centralised the administration of Parma and Piacenza, thus rescinding the nobles' hitherto vast prerogative. He is best remembered for the "Great Justice" of 1612, which saw the executions of a large number of Piacentine nobles suspected of plotting against him. Claudia Colla his mistress and her mother were accused of using witchcraft to stop him from having offsprings, and both were sentenced to death by burning. Because one of the conspirators, Gianfrancesco Sanvitale, falsely implicated several Italian princes, namely Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena, in the plot, Vincenzo and Cesare's names appeared on the list of conspirators during formal court proceedings; as a result, Ranuccio's reputation among the rulers of Italy was irreparably damaged because it was evident that he g ...
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Princess Isabella Of Savoy
Isabella of Savoy (11 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, her paternal grandparents were Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry. She was the Hereditary Princess of Modena, dying before her husband succeeded to the Duchy of Modena in 1628. Life Isabella was born in Turin to Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and his wife Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain, a daughter of Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth of France. Marriage On 22 February 1608, she married Alfonso, Hereditary Prince of Modena (son of Cesare d'Este and Virginia de' Medici) in Turin. This was a happy marriage; Alfonso was loving and loyal towards his wife. Within two years, Isabella bore Alfonso a son, Francesco who would one day succeed his father as Duke of Modena and Reggio. When Isabella died in childbirth on 28 Au ...
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