Azzo X d'Este (1344–1415) was an Italian

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

, a member of the

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 ...

. Born into a cadet branch of the family, he contested the seigniory of

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 ...

to the young Niccolò III, an illegitimate son of marquess

Alberto d'Este Alberto (V) d'Este (27 February 1347 – 30 July 1393) was Lord of Ferrara and Modena from 1388 until his death. He was associated in the lordship of the House of Este by his brother Niccolò II d'Este, Niccolò in 1361, becoming the sole ru ...

who was under the protection of

Pope Boniface IX Pope Boniface IX (; ; c. 1350 – 1 October 1404, born Pietro Tomacelli) was head of the Catholic Church from 2 November 1389 to his death, in October 1404. He was the second Roman pope during the Western Schism.Richard P. McBrien, ''Lives of t ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. After a failed attempt to poison him, Azzo created a ''compagnia'' of mercenaries, with the support of some Este vassals. However, his invasions of the Ferrara territory were crushed by Azzo da Castello, and he retired to the Modenese. With the help of

Giovanni da Barbiano Giovanni da Barbiano (died 27 September 1399) was an Italian condottiero, the leader of a force of mercenary soldiers. He was a brother or nephew of the condottiero Alberico da Barbiano. Born in Barbiano di Cotignola, a commune of what is now ea ...

and an army of 8,000 men, in 1395 he tried again the capture of Ferrara, taking advantage of da Castello's death. But he was again heavily defeated at the Battle of Portomaggiore (16 April), this time by a Venetian army, and imprisoned. Later he was exiled to Candia (

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

). He died in Venice in 1415.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Azzo 10 Of Este 1344 births 1415 deaths House of Este 14th-century condottieri 14th-century Italian nobility 15th-century Italian nobility