Ippolita d'Este (1620 – 1656) was an Italian noblewoman, a member of the ducal

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 ...

. She was the illegitimate daughter of Luigi I d'Este, Lord of Montecchio and Scandiano.

Biography

Born in

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 ...

, Ippolita was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Luigi I d'Este, Lord of Montecchio and Scandiano, a son of

Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena Cesare d'Este (8 October 1562 – 11 December 1628) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1597 until his death. Biography Born in Ferrara, Cesare was the son of Alfonso d'Este, Marquis of Montecchio, fourth son of Alfonso I d'Este and the c ...

, and

Virginia de' Medici Virginia de' Medici (29 May 1568 – 15 January 1615) was an Italian princess, a member of the House of Medici and by marriage Duchess of Modena and Reggio. Regent of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1601 during the absence of her husband, s ...

. She was born around 1620, but the identity of her mother is not known. She fell in love with her uncle

Borso d'Este Borso d'Este, attributed to Vicino da Ferrara, Pinacoteca of the Castello Sforzesco">Sforza Castle 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 rul ...

, younger brother of her father. The marriage negotiations caused a big scandal in the Este court, not only because the couple were uncle and niece, but also because Ippolita was an illegitimate daughter and she was not of enough rank to marry a member of the House of Este. However, Borso was determined to marry her and her father facilitated this by legitimizing his daughter. On April 24, 1647, Ippolita was legitimized by her cousin Francesco I, Duke of Modena. A papal dispensation from

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in January ...

was necessary due to the kinship of the future spouses. Borso and Ippolita were then married in a ceremony in

Scandiano Scandiano ( Reggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, in the northeast part of the country of Italy, near the city of Reggio nell'Emilia and the Secchia river. It had a population of 25,663 as of 31 December 2016. History The cur ...

. The marriage was a happy one, and the couple spent most of their time in the Ducal Palace of Rivalta. Ippolita died in 1656, shortly after the birth of their last child, Maria Angela Caterina, aged 35 or 36. Borso himself would die a year later. Their five surviving children were put under the care of her father Luigi.

Issue

Ippolita and her husband had seven children, of which two died in childhood. They were also the founders of a minor line of the House of Este, the short lived House of Este-Scandiano. Since none of their sons married or had issue, the line died out. * Luigi (1648-1698), Lord of Scandiano. Died unmarried and without issue. * Foresto Francesco (1652-1725), Lord of Montecchio. Died unmarried and without issue. * Cesare Ignazio (1653-1713), succeeded his brother Foresto as Lord of Montecchio. Died unmarried and without issue. * Giulia Teresa (1654-?), died unmarried and without issue. * Maria Angela Caterina (1656-1722), married

Victor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignano Victor Amadeus of Savoy, 3rd Prince of Carignano (1 March 1690 – 4 April 1741) was an Italian nobleman who was Prince of Carignano from 1709 to 1741. He was the son of Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano and his wife, the Maria A ...

and had issue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Ippolita 1620 births 1656 deaths Nobility from Ferrara House of Este 17th-century Italian nobility