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The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later reno ...
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 ruled from 1450 until his death. He was 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 ...
.
Biography
He was an illegitimate son of
Niccolò III d'Este 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 f ...
, Marquess of
Ferrara
Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' 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 stream ...
,
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 ...
and
Reggio, and his mistress
Stella de' Tolomei. Borso succeeded his brother
Leonello d'Este
Leonello d'Este (also spelled Lionello; 21 September 1407 – 1 October 1450) was Marquess of Ferrara, Modena, and Reggio Emilia from 1441 to 1450. Despite the presence of legitimate children, Leonello was favoured by his father as his successor ...
in the marquisate on October 1, 1450.
left, 220px, A page of Borso d'Este's Bible.
On May 18, 1452 he received confirmation over his fiefs, as Duke, by Emperor
Frederick III.
On April 12, 1471, in
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
, he was also appointed as Duke of Ferrara by
Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States
from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...
.
Borso followed an expansionist policy for his state, and one of ennobling for his family. He was generally allied with the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
, and enemy both to
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L' ...
and the
Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...
family. These rivalries led to the indecisive
Battle of Molinella
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict=Battle of Molinella
, image= Malpaga5.JPG
, image_size = 320
, caption=Depiction of the battle in the Malpaga Castle
, partof=
, date=July 25, 1467
, place= Molinella, Province of Bologna
, result=indecis ...
. He was in general appreciated by his subjects. One cause of grievance was his project to build a mountain from scratch in 1471 – a folly he was later forced to abandon.
Borso's court was the center of the so-called
Ferrarese school of painting, whose members include
Francesco del Cossa,
Ercole dei Roberti and
Cosimo Tura
Cosimo is the Italian form of the Greek name ''Kosmas'' (latinised as '' Cosmas'').
Cosimo may refer to:
Characters
* Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, hero of Italo Calvino's 1957 novel ''The Baron in the Trees''
Given name Medici family
* Cosimo ...
. Their most important commission during Borso's rule were the frescoes in the
Palazzo Schifanoia
Palazzo Schifanoia is a Renaissance palace in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna (Italy) built for the Este family. The name "Schifanoia" is thought to originate from "schivar la noia" meaning literally to "escape from boredom" which describes accurately ...
and the
Borso D'Este Bible
The Bible of Borso d'Este is a two volume manuscript. The illuminated miniatures, work of Taddeo Crivelli and others, were executed between 1455 and 1461. The work is held in the Biblioteca Estense di Modena (Ms. Lat. 422-423.)
History
The B ...
. He also protected numerous musicians, including Pietrobono del Chitarrino, Niccolò Todesco e Blasio Montolino.
A man of little education (unlike his brother Leonello), he had a pragmatic view of the arts as a powerful propaganda tool to promote his political ambitions by projecting an image of personal
magnificence.
[ ] He liked to portray himself as an ideal ruler, as for example in the frescoes in Palazzo Schifanoia.[ His traditional image as a magnanimous patron of arts, as later proclaimed in ]Ludovico Ariosto
Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...
's poem ''Orlando Furioso
''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was no ...
'', is also an idealized representation.[ While spending extravagantly on culture and spectacle to promote his political image, he was far from generous with the artists he patronized, whom he did not consider worthy of any special consideration.][ A notorious example of this attitude was his miserly treatment of Cossa, who consequently abandoned Ferrara for Bologna.][ ] His personal Bible (commissioned in 1455) is one of the most magnificent illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...
s of Renaissance Italy and a fabulously costly work of art; however, its principal illuminator, Taddeo Crivelli
Taddeo Crivelli ( fl. 1451, died by 1479), also known as Taddeo da Ferrara, was an Italian painter of illuminated manuscripts. He is considered one of the foremost 15th-century illuminators of the Ferrara school, and also has the distinction ...
, appears to have pawned parts of other manuscripts he was working on to alleviate financial instability.[ ][ ]
Borso never married and left no heirs. His successor was his half-brother Ercole I d'Este
Ercole I d'Este KG (English: ''Hercules I''; 26 October 1431 – 25 January 1505) was Duke of Ferrara from 1471 until 1505. He was a member of the House of Este. He was nicknamed ''North Wind'' and ''The Diamond''.
Biography
Ercole was born i ...
.
Notes and references
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Este, Borso
1413 births
1471 deaths
Borso
Margraves of Ferrara
Borso
Borso
Borso
15th-century Italian nobility
