Obizzo III d'Este (14 July 1294 – 20 March 1352) was the

Marquess of Ferrara Emperor Frederick III conferred Borso d'Este, Lord of Ferrara, with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1452, while Pope Paul II formally elevated him in 1471 as Duke of Ferrara, over which the family had in fact long presided. This latter terr ...

from 1317 until his death. He was the son of

Aldobrandino II d'Este Aldobrandino II d'Este (died 1326) was the Marquess of Ferrara from 1308 until his death. He was the son of Obizzo II d'Este and Jacopina Fieschi, the niece of Pope Adrian V Pope Adrian V (Latin: ''Adrianus V''; c. 1210/1220 – 18 Aug ...

and Alda Rangoni.

Life

Obizzo was

lord of Ferrara The Duchy of Ferrara ( la, Ducatus Ferrariensis; it, Ducato di Ferrara; egl, Ducà ad Frara) was a state in what is now northern Italy. It consisted of about 1,100 km2 south of the lower Po River, stretching to the valley of the lower Reno ...

together with his brothers

Rinaldo Rinaldo may refer to: *Renaud de Montauban (also spelled Renaut, Renault, Italian: Rinaldo di Montalbano, Dutch: Reinout van Montalbaen, German: Reinhold von Montalban), a legendary knight in the medieval Matter of France * Rinaldo (''Jerusalem Lib ...

and

Niccolò 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 fe ...

, and his cousin Folco II, but in the end reigned as sole ruler. He managed to enlarge the family possessions with the conquests 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 ...

(1336) and

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

(1344–1346). In May 1317 Obizzo married firstly Giacoma (d. 1341), daughter of Romeo de' Peppoli from Bologna, with whom he had no children. There are also reports that he married Elisabeth of Saxony, Angria and Westphalia, daughter of

Albert II, Duke of Saxony Albert II of Saxony ( Wittenberg upon Elbe, ca. 1250 – 25 August 1298, near Aken) was a son of Duke Albert I of Saxony and his third wife Helen of Brunswick and Lunenburg, a daughter of Otto the Child. He supported Rudolph I of Germany at his el ...

. In 1347 Obizzo married secondly Lippa Ariosti, known as ''la Bella'' and his long-time mistress. The marriage took place shortly before Lippa's death on 27 November 1347 in order to legitimize their many children: * Beatrice (18 September 1332 – 1387), married in 1365 to

Waldemar I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst Waldemar I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (died 7 January 1368) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst. He was the youngest son of Albert I, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, by his second wife Agnes, daughter ...

. * Alda (18 July 1333 – 1381), married in 1356 to

Ludovico II Gonzaga Ludovico II Gonzaga (1334 – 4 October 1382) was an Italian politician who was capitano del popolo of Mantua. He was a member of the House of Gonzaga. Biography He was the son of Guido Gonzaga and Beatrix of Bar. Together with his brother Franc ...

. * Rinaldo (10 October 1334 – 20 July 1348), died young. * Aldobrandino III (14 September 1335 – 2/3 November 1361). * Alisia (18 March 1337 – 12 August 1402), married in 1349 to Guido III Novello di Polenta, Lord of Ravenna. * Niccolò II (17 May 1338 – 26 March 1388). * Azzo (14 March 1340 – 18 September 1349), died in infancy. * Folco (1342–1356), died young. * Costanza (25 July 1343 – 13 February 1391), married in 1363 to Malatesta IV Malatesta, Lord of Rimini. *

Alberto Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic ''Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Albertin ...

(1347 – 30 July 1393). In addition, Obizzo had another illegitimate son by an unknown mistress, Giovanni (1324–1389), later Governor of Frignano, who was also legitimized.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Obizzo 3 1294 births 1352 deaths Obizzo 3 Obizzo 3 14th-century Italian nobility