Borso d'Este on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Borso d'Este, attributed to Vicino_da_Ferrara,_Pinacoteca_of_the_Castello_Sforzesco.html" "title="Pinacoteca.html" ;"title="Vicino da Ferrara, Pinacoteca">Vicino da Ferrara, Pinacoteca of the Castello Sforzesco">Sforza Castle
The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later re ...
in Milan, Italy.
Borso d'Este (1413 – August 20, 1471) was Duke of Ferrara, and the first Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Duke of Modena, which he ruled from 1450 until his death. He was a member of the
House of Este.
Biography
He was an illegitimate son of
Niccolò III d'Este 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 ...
, Marquess of
Ferrara,
Modena and
Reggio, and his mistress
Stella de' Tolomei. Borso succeeded his brother
Leonello d'Este in the marquisate on October 1, 1450.
left, 220px, A page of Borso d'Este's Bible.
On May 18, 1452 he received confirmation over his fiefs, as Duke, by Emperor
Frederick III.
On April 12, 1471, in
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal en ...
, he was also appointed as Duke of Ferrara by
Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States
from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...
.
Borso followed an expansionist policy for his state, and one of ennobling for his family. He was generally allied with the
Republic of Venice, and enemy both to
Francesco I Sforza and the
Medici family. These rivalries led to the indecisive
Battle of Molinella
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict=Battle of Molinella
, image= Malpaga5.JPG
, image_size = 320
, caption=Depiction of the battle in the Malpaga Castle
, partof=
, date=July 25, 1467
, place= Molinella, Province of Bologna
, result=indecisi ...
. He was in general appreciated by his subjects. One cause of grievance was his project to build a mountain from scratch in 1471 – a folly he was later forced to abandon.
Borso's court was the center of the so-called
Ferrarese school of painting, whose members include
Francesco del Cossa
Francesco del Cossa (c. 1430 – c. 1477) was an Italian Renaissance painter of the School of Ferrara, who after 1470 worked in Bologna. Cossa is best known for his frescoes, especially his collaboration with Cosimo Tura on a cycle of the mo ...
,
Ercole dei Roberti
Ercole de' Roberti (c. 1451 – 1496), also known as Ercole Ferrarese or Ercole da Ferrara, was an Italian artist of the Early Renaissance and the School of Ferrara. He was profiled in Vasari's ''Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori, scultor ...
and
Cosimo Tura
Cosimo is the Italian form of the Greek name ''Kosmas'' (latinised as '' Cosmas'').
Cosimo may refer to:
Characters
* Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, hero of Italo Calvino's 1957 novel ''The Baron in the Trees''
Given name Medici family
* Cosimo ...
. Their most important commission during Borso's rule were the frescoes in the
Palazzo Schifanoia
Palazzo Schifanoia is a Renaissance palace in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna (Italy) built for the Este family. The name "Schifanoia" is thought to originate from "schivar la noia" meaning literally to "escape from boredom" which describes accurately ...
and the
Borso D'Este Bible
The Bible of Borso d'Este is a two volume manuscript. The illuminated miniatures, work of Taddeo Crivelli and others, were executed between 1455 and 1461. The work is held in the Biblioteca Estense di Modena (Ms. Lat. 422-423.)
History
The B ...
. He also protected numerous musicians, including Pietrobono del Chitarrino, Niccolò Todesco e Blasio Montolino.
A man of little education (unlike his brother Leonello), he had a pragmatic view of the arts as a powerful propaganda tool to promote his political ambitions by projecting an image of personal
magnificence.
[ ] He liked to portray himself as an ideal ruler, as for example in the frescoes in Palazzo Schifanoia.[ His traditional image as a magnanimous patron of arts, as later proclaimed in Ludovico Ariosto's poem '' Orlando Furioso'', is also an idealized representation.][ While spending extravagantly on culture and spectacle to promote his political image, he was far from generous with the artists he patronized, whom he did not consider worthy of any special consideration.][ A notorious example of this attitude was his miserly treatment of Cossa, who consequently abandoned Ferrara for Bologna.][ ] His personal Bible (commissioned in 1455) is one of the most magnificent illuminated manuscripts of Renaissance Italy and a fabulously costly work of art; however, its principal illuminator, Taddeo Crivelli
Taddeo Crivelli (fl. 1451, died by 1479), also known as Taddeo da Ferrara, was an Italian painter of illuminated manuscripts. He is considered one of the foremost 15th-century illuminators of the Ferrara school, and also has the distinction o ...
, appears to have pawned parts of other manuscripts he was working on to alleviate financial instability.[ ][ ]
Borso never married and left no heirs. His successor was his half-brother Ercole I d'Este
Ercole I d'Este KG (English: ''Hercules I''; 26 October 1431 – 25 January 1505) was Duke of Ferrara from 1471 until 1505. He was a member of the House of Este. He was nicknamed ''North Wind'' and ''The Diamond''.
Biography
Ercole was born ...
.
Notes and references
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Borso
1413 births
1471 deaths
Borso
Margraves of Ferrara
Borso
Borso
Borso
15th-century Italian nobility
