Azzo X d'Este (1344–1415) was an Italian

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 Europe ...

, a member of the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

. Born into a cadet branch of the family, he contested the seigniory 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 ...

to the young Niccolò III, an illegitimate son of marquess

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 in 1361, becoming the sole ruler of Ferrara and ...

who was under the protection of

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.Richa ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. After a failed attempt to poison him, Azzo created a ''compagnia'' of mercenaries, with the supports of some Este vassals. However, his invasions of the Ferrara territory was crushed by

Azzo da Castello Azzo (Italian) or Azzus (Latin) are variations of the same name. Azo, Atto, and Hatto are other variants. *Albert Azzo I, Margrave of Milan, Italian nobleman *Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan (died 1097), Italian nobleman, founder of Casa d'Es ...

, and he retired to the Modenese. With the help of

Giovanni da Barbiano Giovanni da Barbiano (died 27 September 1399) was an Italian condottiero, the leader of a force of mercenary soldiers. He was a brother or nephew of the condottiero Alberico da Barbiano. Born in Barbiano di Cotignola, a commune of what is now ea ...

and an army of 8,000 men, in 1395 he tried again the capture of Ferrara, taking advantage of da Castello's death. But he was again heavily defeated at the

Battle of Portomaggiore {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Battle of Portomaggiore , partof = , image = , caption = , date = 16 April 1395 , place = Portomaggiore, Ferrara, Italy , coordinates = {{coord, 44, 42, N, 11, 48, E, ...

(April 16), this time by a Venetian army, and imprisoned. Later he was exiled to Candia (

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

). He died in Venice in 1415.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Azzo 10 Of Este 1344 births 1415 deaths House of Este 14th-century condottieri 14th-century Italian nobility 15th-century Italian nobility