Alfonso IV d'Este (2 February 1634 – 16 July 1662) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1658 until his death. He was the father of Mary of Modena, consort of

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

. Alfonso was born in Modena, the eldest son of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena, and his first wife, Maria Caterina Farnese. He became Duke of Modena and Reggio after his father's death in 1658. Alfonso's health was poor and he suffered from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. He died four years into his reign. In 1655 he married Laura Martinozzi, Cardinal Mazarin's niece, thus strengthening his alliance with France. On Laura's sixteenth birthday, 27 May 1655, she was married to the Duke of Modena by proxy at the Palace of Compiègne, with the Count of Soissons standing in the place of the Duke of Modena. They had two children, Maria and

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 went on to become Queen of England and Duke of Modena, respectively. In 1659 the Franco-Spanish War came to an end and Modena was rewarded with the town of

Correggio Antonio Allegri da Correggio (August 1489 – 5 March 1534), usually known as just Correggio (, also , , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter who was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Renaissance, who was responsible for som ...

for supporting France. He was succeeded by his two-year-old son, under the regency of his widow.

Ancestry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Alfonso 4 1634 births 1662 deaths 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century deaths from tuberculosis Hereditary princes of Modena Alfonso 4 Alfonso 4 Alfonso 4 Alfonso 4