Federico II Pico della Mirandola (1564 – 7 September 1602) was an Italian nobleman, last Count of Mirandola and Concordia (1592-1596) and first Prince of Mirandola and Marquis of Concordia (1596-1602).

Life

Second son of Ludovico II Pico della Mirandola, Count of Mirandola and Concordia, and Fulvia da Correggio, Federico II studied literature and philosophy in

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 ...

and then law in

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

with his brother Alessandro, pupils of Giacomo Menochio. Federico II married Ippolita d'Este (1565-1602), natural daughter of Alfonso d'Este, marquis of Montecchio, but they did not have children. Successor to his brother Galeotto III, who abdicated on 21 February 1592 for health reasons, he abandoned the protection of the King of France (obtained by his grandfather Galeotto I following the assassination of Giovanni Francesco II Pico) to return under the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, having petitioned Emperor

Rudolph II Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Hous ...

in 1593, also taking advantage of the fact that the other branch of the Pico family (that of the descendants of the assassinated Giovanni Francesco II) had died out in 1588 for lack of heirs. Federico II thus obtained the investiture of the fiefs in 1596 together with his brother Galeotto III (who died the following year) and on that occasion Mirandola obtained the title of City and was raised to

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

, while Concordia became a

Marquisate A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

. In 1597, he cooperated in the reintegration of the Sacro Monte di Pietà of Mirandola. He was also a member of the Accademia degli Intenti in Pavia. In 1602, shortly before his death, he also signed an agreement with

Philip III of Spain Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621. A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...

, who granted him a pension that could also be passed on to his heirs. In the beginning of 1602, an epidemic of pestilential fever called burraschetta''' broke out in Mirandola, causing over 200 people to die within three months. The Mirandola rulers, who in the meantime had taken refuge in

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

, then asked for

divine grace Divine grace is a theological term present in many religions. It has been defined as the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptati ...

, supplicating the holy image of the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

placed on the northern gate of the walls. While the epidemic seemed to have ended, in April, Federico II commissioned the construction of the Oratory of the Blessed Virgin of the Gate (today known as the Church of the Madonnina) by grace received. However, on 20 April his wife Princess Ippolita d'Este fell victim to the same strange flu, dying on 1 May at the age of just 36. She was buried at the monastery of the Franciscan tertiaries, next to the church of San Francesco. Grief over the loss of her beloved companion also caused the death of Federico II four months later, also at the age of 36. Having no more children, the Principality of Mirandola passed to his brother

Alessandro I Pico Alessandro I Pico della Mirandola (15 May 1566 – 2 December 1637) was an Italian nobleman and military man, second Marquis of Concordia (1602–1637), second and last Prince of Mirandola (1602–1617) and first Duke of Mirandola (1617–163 ...

, who had to abandon his ecclesiastical career.

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Life

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