Borso d'Este (1605 – 28 December 1657) was an Italian general, 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 ...

. He was the 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 ...

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 ...

Biography

Born in

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) 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 Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

, he was the fifth son and eight child of

, and

, daughter of

Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. ...

. His eldest brother,

Alfonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...

, became duke in 1628. He had another four brothers, Luigi, Lord of Montecchio and Scandiano, Ippolito, Niccolo, and Foresto; as well four sisters, Giulia, Laura, Caterina and Anna Eleonora, all of whom survived childhood. From birth he was destined for a career in the Church, and in 1622 he was made Abbot Commendatory in the Abbey of SS. Leonardo and Apollonius of Canossa. However, he renounced to his religious habit three years later in order to follow a military career. He moved to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, where he attended a military academy and joined the Imperial Army. In 1632, Borso was put in charge of an infantry regiment in the Battle of Lützen. In 1634, he fought in the Battle of Nördlingen. In 1640, he was summoned back to the Este territories by his nephew Francesco I, Duke of Modena to fight against Spanish troops from the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

. In 1641, he bought the Ducal Palace of Rivalta and during the next three years the palace was renovated and enlarged. Borso fell in love with his niece Ippolita, the illegitimate daughter of his brother Luigi, Lord of Montecchio and Scandiano. 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 Ippolita and his brother Luigi facilitated this by legitimizing his daughter. On April 24, 1647, Ippolita was legitimized by Duke Francesco. A papal dispensation from

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent 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 1655. Born in Rome of a family fro ...

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 cu ...

. That same year, Borso bought half of the Marquisate of Scandiano from his brother. 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. Borso himself would die a year later, aged 51 or 52. Their five surviving children were put under the care of his brother Luigi, who was also the children's grandfather.

Issue

Borso and Ippolita 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 in 1684 Philibert-Emmanuel (1628-1709) and had issue, including

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, Maria Angel ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Borso 1605 births 1657 deaths Nobility from Ferrara House of Este 17th-century Italian nobility Sons of dukes