The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (, ) was an Italian state created in 1545 and located in

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

, in the current region of

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

. Originally a realm of the

Farnese family 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 ...

after

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...

made it a hereditary duchy for his son,

Pier Luigi Farnese Pier Luigi Farnese (19 November 1503 – 10 September 1547) was the first Duke of Castro from 1537 to 1545 and the first Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1545 to 1547. He was the illegitimate son of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (who later became ...

, it was ruled by the dynasty until 1731, when the last duke,

Antonio Farnese Antonio Farnese (29 November 1679 – 20 January 1731) was the eighth and final Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza. He married, in 1727, Enrichetta d'Este of Modena with the intention of begetting an heir. The marriage, however, was childl ...

, died without direct heirs. After a decade of

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

rule, the duchy passed to the

House of Bourbon-Parma The House of Bourbon-Parma () is a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family, whose members once ruled as King of Etruria and as Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Duke of Guastalla, Guastalla, and Duke of Lucca, Lucca. The House descended from the Fre ...

. It was invaded by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and annexed by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, having its sovereignty restored in 1814 after Napoleon's defeat. Napoleon's wife,

Marie Louise Marie Louise or Marie-Louise is a French feminine given name, compound given name. In other languages, it may take one of several alternate forms: * Maria Luiza (Bulgarian, Portuguese) * Maria Luisa (Italian, Spanish) * Maria Luise (German) * Mari ...

(''Maria Luigia''), then ruled as its duchess until her death. Parma was restored to Bourbon rule in 1847, and in 1859, the duchy was formally abolished as it was integrated into the new Italian state.

History

The Duchy of Parma was created by

(Alessandro Farnese) in 1545 from former parts of the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

south of the

Po River The Po ( , ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy, starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is , or if the Maira (river), Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. The headwaters of the Po are forme ...

which had been conquered by the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

in 1512. These territories, centered on the city of

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, ...

, were given as a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

to Paul III's illegitimate son,

. In 1556, the second Duke, Ottavio Farnese, was given the city of

Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...

, becoming thus also Duke of Piacenza, and so the state was thereafter known as the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (). In 1587, during the rule of Duke Alessandro Farnese, the Stato Pallavicino, an absolute monarchy feudal state in northwestern Emilia, encompassing the Marchesates of Busseto and Cortemaggiore, was annexed into the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. This annexation expanded the duchy's territory and consolidated Farnese influence over the region. The Stato Pallavicino had been an autonomous entity under the Pallavicino family since 1394, but its absorption marked the end of its independence. The Farnese family continued to rule until the extinction of their male line in 1731.

The consolidation of the duchy

Ottavio Farnese strove to make the duchy prosperous, to win the benevolence of the people by applying the wise measures already taken by his father and to flatter the local nobility using more moderation than Pier Luigi, he knew how to consolidate the duchy by promoting its economy and financial and commercial exchanges and cultural, it started the territorial expansion with the annexation of some fiefdoms. In 1573 the number of inhabitants of the new capital had increased considerably reaching 26,000. Alessandro Farnese, who was also an important general of the Spanish army, succeeding the leadership of the duchy, was forced by the King

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

to appoint his seventeen-year-old son

Ranuccio I Farnese 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 ...

, as regent, since the Spanish King did not want to deprive himself of the able and valiant general. Alessandro died far from Parma on 3 December 1592 from gangrene caused by an arquebus ball during the Siege of Can de Bec, a year before his death he ordered the construction of the fortress of the Citadel with the aim of affirming the power of the family but also to provide work to a labor force of 2,500 people made up mostly of the poor sections of the city population. Ranuccio I, passionate about arts and music, made the ducal court the first in Italy in the musical arts. During this period, the city was enriched with unique monuments, such as the Palazzo della Pilotta, Palazzo Ducale and the

Teatro Farnese Teatro Farnese is a Renaissance Theater (structure), theatre in the Palazzo della Pilotta, Parma, Italy. It was built in 1618 by Giovanni Battista Aleotti. The idea of creating this grand theater came from the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Ranuccio I ...

, modern legislation was passed, which made Parma a center of excellence both in terms of lifestyle and as an architectural model, elevating it as a cultural capital to the same level of other important European capitals. His government was guilty of the public execution of over 100 Parma citizens accused of conspiring against him. In 1628, on the death of Ranuccio I, the duchy was passed on to his just sixteen-year-old son

Odoardo Odoardo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Odoardo Barri (1844–1920), the pseudonym of Edward Slater *Odoardo Beccari (1843–1920), Italian naturalist, discovered the titan arum in Sumatra in 1878 *Odoardo Borrani (1833–19 ...

, who on 11 October of the same year married the fifteen-year-old Margherita de' Medici in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, daughter of

Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo II de' Medici (12 May 1590 – 28 February 1621) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1609 until his death. He was the elder son of Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Christina of Lorraine. For the majority of his 12-year rei ...

. These were difficult years for the duchy, in addition to the terrible plague of 1630 which decimated the population, the new duke maintained an army of 6,000 infantry and to finance it he forced his subjects into severe deprivation, getting into debt with bankers and merchants. Despite the high expenses incurred, his first campaign was negative: Piacenza was occupied by the Spanish troops, his troops were defeated in Parma territory by

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 ...

, and Odoardo was forced to sign a peace treaty with Spain under which, once the alliance with France was dissolved, he would have evacuated Piacenza. On his death, which took place in Piacenza on 11 September 1646 at the age of 34, the duchy passed to his son Ranuccio II and for two years the regency was ensured by his wife Margherita de' Medici and by his uncle the Cardinal Francesco Maria Farnese, until the age of eighteen. In 1691 the Duchy of Parma was invaded by the Imperial army and plundered by the four thousand soldiers who arrived in Parma with women and children; not only their maintenance fell on the subjects, but rape, abuse and violence followed one another without respite. Ranuccio II made many works to improve the situation of his subjects, but the contrast between the carefree life of the court and the coffers of the treasury was truly remarkable and to keep all the characters who rotated at the court of Parma, the duke was forced to tax everything, avoiding, however, touching the ecclesiastical income. During his reign, Ranuccio II bought precious paintings and volumes, he moved most of the works belonging to the family collections preserved in the Roman residences to Parma and in 1688 the new Ducal Theater was inaugurated. Ranuccio II had a son destined to succeed him,

, who, however, predeceased his father and therefore never governed the duchy. Three years before his death, thanks to the mediation of the ambassador Count Fabio Perletti, Odoardo had married

Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg (5 July 1670 – 15 September 1748) was Duchess of Parma from 1695 to 1727 by marriage to Francesco, Duke of Parma. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Parma for her grandson Charles of Spain between 1731 and 1735 ...

, with whom he had two children: Alessandro, who died at the age of eight months, and Elisabeth. On 11 December 1694, upon the sudden death of Ranuccio II, the duchy then passed into the hands of the just sixteen-year-old second son

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

, who married the widow of his brother Dorothea.

Rule of Francesco Farnese

Francesco Farnese's work fully brought the Farnese dynasty back to the center of great politics. Having inherited a disastrous financial situation, in order to try to heal it he cut all the unnecessary expenses of the court by firing most of the servants, musicians, jesters and dwarves. He also abolished performances, court parties and banquets. A hydraulic work was built to defend the city of Piacenza from the erosion of the Po, the expansion of the

University of Parma The University of Parma () is a public university located in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Organized into nine departments, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. As of 2016, it had approximately 26,000 students. History During the ...

and the Collegio dei Nobili was favored, encouraging the study of public law, history, languages and geography. Artists, writers, musicians and playwrights enjoyed the protection of the Court. In 1712 the renovation works of the Ducal Palace of Colorno began, completed in 1730. In 1714 the duchy achieved an important diplomatic success when Francesco, thanks to the offices of his ambassador in Spain

Giulio Alberoni Giulio Alberoni (21 May 1664 OS – 26 June NS 1752) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal and statesman in the service of Philip V of Spain. Early years He was born near Piacenza on May 21, 1664, probably at the village of Fiorenzuola ...

, was able to marry his niece Elisabeth to King

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

, who had been widowed earlier that year.

Extinction of the Farnese and House of Bourbon-Parma

Because of the lack of male heirs,

Elisabeth Farnese Elisabeth Farnese (Italian: ''Elisabetta Farnese'', Spanish: ''Isabel de Farnesio''; 25 October 169211 July 1766) was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She was the '' de facto'' ruler of Spain from 1714 until 1746, since she managed ...

, niece of Duke

, was declared the Farnese heiress. She received many marriage proposals, finally marrying in 1714

. On the death of childless Duke Antonio in 1731, Philip V asserted the rights that his wife had over the duchies according to the agreements signed in the Treaty of Vienna of 1725 and the Treaty of Seville of 1729, and he claimed both for the Spanish

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

. The Duchy would thus be inherited by his first son with Elisabeth, Infante Carlos of Spain, who reigned as Duke Charles I of Parma and Piacenza. He ruled his territories for four years until the end of the

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...

, when, according to what was established in the

Treaty of Vienna (1738) The Treaty of Vienna or Peace of Vienna of 1738 ended the War of the Polish Succession. By the terms of the treaty, Stanisław Leszczyński renounced his claim on the Polish throne and recognized Augustus III, Duke of Saxony.Lindsay, J. O. (195 ...

, he handed over both duchies to the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

in exchange for the Kingdoms of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. The Habsburgs only ruled until the conclusion of the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

in 1748, whose final peace treaty, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, ceded back the duchy to the Bourbons in the person of Infante Philip of Spain, younger brother of Charles I. Duke Philip became the founder of the

, reigning over an expanded Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla (), the Gonzaga rulers of neighbouring

Guastalla Guastalla ( Guastallese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Geography Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River. Guastalla is located at around from the citi ...

having died out in 1746. In 1796, the duchy was occupied by French troops under

, and the political situation of the state became extremely confused.

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

maintained his throne under French military governors until the Treaty of Aranjuez of 1801, when a general agreement between the

and Napoleon formally decided the cession of the duchy to

in exchange for

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, but the Duke remained in Parma until he died in 1802.

Napoleonic era (1796-1814)

Napoleon Bonaparte was undecided about the future of the duchy, aspiring to a total engagement of the Bourbons in the European wars as his allies. Even as French laws and administration were gradually introduced, the formal annexation to the French Empire was declared only in 1808 after the outbreak of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. The duchy was reformed as the ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'' of

Taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

Last decades of the duchy (1814 to 1860)

In 1814, the duchies were given to Napoleon's Habsburg wife, Marie-Louise, styled in Italian Maria-Luigia, who ruled them for the rest of her life. After her death in 1847, the Duchy was restored to the Bourbon-Parma family, which had been ruling the tiny

Duchy of Lucca The Duchy of Lucca () was a small Italian state existing from 1815 to 1847. It was centered on the city of Lucca. History The Duchy was formed in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, out of the former Republic of Lucca and the Principality of Lucca ...

. Guastalla was ceded to

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

. The Bourbon-Parma regime was more reactionary than Marie-Louise's, provoking an uprising in 1848 which temporarily drove them out. The Bourbons ruled until 1859, when they were driven out by a revolution following the French and Sardinian victory in the war against Austria (called the Austrian War in France and the Second War of Independence in Italy). It was the only case in Italy where the ruling monarchs were successfully driven out by two consecutive uprisings, thanks to the inhabitants' rising aspirations for Italian unification and strong hatred for the Bourbons after the less reactionary reign of Marie Louise. In December 1859, the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza was combined with the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

and the Duchy of Modena to form the

United Provinces of Central Italy The United Provinces of Central Italy (), also known as the Confederation of Central Italy or General Government of Central Italy, was a short-lived military government established in 1859 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. It was formed by a ...

. In March 1860, after a referendum, this merged with the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

, which in 1861 changed its name to the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

Historical flags and coat of arms

Flag of the Duchy of Parma.svg, 1545-1731
''(Farnese)'' File:State Flag of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla (1815-1847).svg, 1815-1847
(''Habsburg-Lorraine'') File:Civil Ensign of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla (1815-1847).svg, ''Civil ensign''
1815-1847
(''Habsburg-Lorraine'') File:State Flag of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla (1848-1849).svg, 1848-1849
(''Bourbon-Parma'') File:State Flag of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla (1850-1851).svg, 1850-1851
(''Bourbon-Parma'') File:Flag of the Duchy of Parma (1851-1859).svg, 1851-1859
(''Bourbon-Parma'') File:Civil Ensign of the Duchy of Parma (1851-1859).svg, ''Civil ensign''
1851-1859
(''Bourbon-Parma'') File:Coat of Arms of the Duke Octavius Farnese (1547-1586).svg, alt=, 1545-1586
(''Farnese'') File:Coat of Arms of the Duke Ranuncius Farnese (1600-1622).svg, alt=, 1586-1731
(''Farnese'') File:Ducal Coat of Arms of Parma (1748-1802).svg, 1748-1802
(''Bourbon-Parma'') File:Coat of arms of the Duchy of Parma under Maria Luigia of Austria.svg, 1814-1847
(''Habsburg-Lorraine'') File:Coat of arms of the House of Bourbon-Parma.svg, 1847-1860
(''Bourbon-Parma'')

References

* *Alessandro Cont
''Il potere della tradizione. Guillaume Du Tillot e la questione della nobiltà''
"Nuova Rivista Storica", 100, 1 (gennaio-aprile 2016), pp. 73–106

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duchy Of Parma Modern history of Italy History of Emilia-Romagna House of Farnese 2nd millennium in Italy Italian states Papal States Italian city-states 1545 establishments in the Papal States 1859 disestablishments in Europe * *

States and territories established in 1545 States and territories disestablished in 1859 Former monarchies of Europe Former duchies