Francesco III d'Este (Francesco Maria; 2 July 1698 – 22 February 1780) was Duke of

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) 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 I ...

and Reggio from 1737 until his death.

Biography

He was born in

, the son of

Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena Rinaldo may refer to: *Renaud de Montauban Renaud de Montauban (; also spelled ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', Italian: ''Rinaldo di Montalbano'', Dutch: ''Reinout van Montalba(e)n'') was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century O ...

, and Duchess Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg. During his reign, the duchy was bankrupted by the Wars of the Spanish,

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

, and Austrian Successions. As a result, Francesco was forced to sell the most precious artworks of the

Estense Gallery The Galleria Estense is an art gallery in the heart of Modena, centred around the collection of the d’Este family: rulers of Modena, Ferrara and Reggio from 1289 to 1796. Located on the top floor of the ''Palazzo dei Musei'', on the St. Augusti ...

. He was a careful administrator but most of the duchy's financial policy was in the hands of the Austrian plenipotentiary,

Beltrame Cristiani Beltrame (in Milanese: ''Baltramm'') is a traditional character of the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'' associated to the city of Milan, and dating back to the 16th-17th century or earlier.Beltrame di Milano' It is also often referenced by the full ...

. Among his measures, the urban renovation of Modena and the construction of the

Via Vandelli Via Vandelli is a historical commercial and military road, designed and built in the 18th century by Domenico Vandelli under the reign of Francesco III d'Este between 1739 and 1752. The road connected the city of Modena with the city of Massa ...

, connecting the city to

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

. Francesco also was the interim Governor of the Duchy of Milan between 1754 and 1771. He died in 1780 in his villa at

Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...

. His son Prince Ercole succeeded him.

Family and children

In 1721, he married

Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans (22 October 1700 – 19 January 1761) was Duchess of Modena and Reggio by marriage to Francesco III d'Este. She was the third daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise-Marie de Bourbon. Sh ...

(1700–1761), a daughter of Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans and

Françoise Marie de Bourbon Françoise Marie de Bourbon (''Légitimée de France''; 4 May 1677 1 February 1749) was the youngest illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his ''maîtresse-en-titre'', Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montes ...

(illegitimate daughter of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

and

Madame de Montespan Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

) and had ten children. He acted as proxy groom for his sister

Henrietta Maria d'Este Princess Enrichetta d'Este (Enrichetta Maria; 27 February 1702 – 30 January 1777) was a Duchess of Parma by marriage to her cousin Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma. She was the Regent of Parma in 1731 during her alleged pregnancy in the inter ...

in 1728 who was marrying

Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma 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 childle ...

. After his first wife's death, he remarried twice more

morganatically Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spou ...

to Teresa Castelbarco (1704-1768) and Renata Teresa d'Harrach (1721-1788). His granddaughter

Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa Maria Beatrice d’Este ( it, Maria Beatrice Ricciarda; 7 April 1750 – 14 November 1829) was the last descendant of the House of Este, of the Cybo-Malaspina, House of Cybo-Malaspina and, through her maternal grandmother , also of the House of Go ...

was the last of the Este of Modena.

Issue

#Alfonso d'Este (18 November 1723 – 16 June 1725) died in infancy. #Francesco Constantino d'Este (22 November 1724 – 16 June 1725) died in infancy. #

Maria Teresa Felicitas d'Este Maria Teresa Felicitas (; 6 October 1726 – 30 April 1754) was a Princess of Modena by birth and Duchess of Penthièvre by marriage. She was the mother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and thus grandmother to the future Louis-Philippe of France. Yo ...

(6 October 1726 – 30 April 1754) married

Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon (16 November 1725 – 4 March 1793) was the son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon and his wife Marie Victoire de Noailles. He was therefore a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. From ...

and had issue. #

Ercole III d'Este, Duke of Modena Ercole III d'Este (Ercole Rinaldo; 22 November 1727 – 14 October 1803) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1780 to 1796, and later of Breisgau (not resident). He was a member of the House of Este. Biography He was born in Modena, the son of Du ...

(22 November 1727 – 14 October 1803) married

Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa Maria Teresa CyboThis is also sometimes spelt ''Cibo''.-Malaspina (29 June 1725 29 December 1790) was the sovereign Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara from 1731 until her death in 1790. She was the eldest child of Alderano I, Duke of Mass ...

and had issue. #

Matilde d'Este Matilde d'Este (February 7, 1729 – November 14, 1803) was a Duchy of Modena and Reggio, Modenese princess by birth. She was the daughter of Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena and Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans. Biography Matilde was born in G ...

(7 February 1729 – 14 November 1803) died unmarried. #Beatrice d'Este (14 July 1730 – 12 July 1731) died in infancy. #Beatrice d'Este (24 November 1731 – 3 April 1736) died in infancy. #

Maria Fortunata d'Este Maria Fortunata d'Este (24 November 1731 – 21 September 1803) was a Modenese princess by birth and a '' princess du sang'' by marriage. By her marriage to Louis François Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, her first cousin, she became the ...

(24 November 1731 – 21 September 1803) married Louis François de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, no issue. # Benedetto Filippo d'Este (30 September 1736 – 16 September 1751) died unmarried. #Maria Elisabetta Ernestina d'Este (12 February 1741 – 4 August 1774) married Carlo Salomone, Count of Serravalle and had issue. Direct ancestors of Sergio E. M. Salomone Montes de Oca, current Count of Serravalle,

Vintebbio Vintebbio is a ''frazione'' (and parish) of the municipality of Serravalle Sesia, in Piedmont, northern Italy. Overview It is a village located some km south from the centre of Serravalle, on the right side of Sesia river. Vintebbio is located at ...

and Bornate.

Ancestry

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Francesco 3 1698 births 1780 deaths 18th-century Italian people Francesco 3 Francesco 3 Francesco 3 Hereditary Princes of Modena Francesco 3 Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria Generals of the Holy Roman Empire Fellows of the Royal Society