The Lordship, then County, Principality and finally Duchy of Mirandola ( it, Ducato della Mirandola) was a state which existed in

Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

from 1310 until 1711, centered in

Mirandola Mirandola ( Mirandolese: ) is a city and ''comune'' of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, northeast of the provincial capital by railway. History Mirandola originated as a Renaissance city-fortress. For four centuries it was ...

in what is now the

province of Modena The Province of Modena ( it, Provincia di Modena) is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena. It has an area of and a total population of about 701,000 (2015). There are 48 ''comuni'' (singular: ''co ...

, in

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

, and ruled by the House of Pico.

History

The House of Pico della Mirandola were a noble family first known for one Hugh, a vassal of

Matilda of Tuscany Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as th ...

in the 11th century. In the following centuries, members of the family were ''

podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

'' in

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 Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

, until, in 1311, Francesco Pico received by emperor Henry VII the fiefs of Quarantoli and

San Possidonio San Possidonio ( Mirandolese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about northeast of Modena. San Possidonio borders the following municipalities: ...

in reward of his help during the war against the Este. In 1353 Paolo Pico obtained by the bishops of Reggio the fief of

San Martino Spino Mirandola ( Mirandolese: ) is a city and ''comune'' of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, northeast of the provincial capital by railway. History Mirandola originated as a Renaissance city-fortress. For four centuries it was ...

, and in the following year

emperor Charles IV Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...

freed the Pico from the dominance of the bishops, placing Mirandola directly under the imperial suzerainty. In 1432 Giovanni Pico received by emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

the title of count of Concordia. The city was strongly fortified, and, in the course of the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

, it was allied with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It was

besieged Besieged may refer to: * the state of being under siege * ''Besieged'' (film), a 1998 film by Bernardo Bertolucci {{disambiguation ...

two times by the Papal troops under

Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the ...

(1511), who personally attacked its walls, and

Julius III Pope Julius III ( la, Iulius PP. III; it, Giulio III; 10 September 1487 – 23 March 1555), born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 February 1550 to his death in March 155 ...

(1551–1552). In the second occasion, the fortress resisted successfully under the command of Ludovico Pico and

Piero Strozzi Piero (or Pietro) Strozzi (c. 1510 – 21 June 1558) was an Italian military leader. He was a member of the rich Florentine family of the Strozzi. Biography left, Portrait of Piero Strozzi Born in Florence, Piero Strozzi was the son of Filipp ...

. In 1597, after returning under the imperial umbrella, Mirandola obtained the title of city and the Picos were named princes of Mirandola and marquesses of Concordia. In 1617 Alessandro I was finally declared duke. The main economic activities in Renaissance times were animal husbandry, agriculture and, starting from the 17th century, silk clothes. The duchy however suffered from internal crisis and the numerous military operations in the area, such as in 1630 when it was ravaged by the imperial troops. The last lord was Francesco Maria Pico, who was charged with treason after having been forced to cede the fortress to the French. The duchy was acquired by the

Duchy of Modena A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between " ...

under 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 ...

, who bought it for 175,000 golden doppie.

List of rulers

Lords of Mirandola

#1311 - 1311: Francesco I

Lords of Mirandola and Concordia

# 1354 - 1399:

Francesco II Francesco II may refer to: * Francesco II Ordelaffi (1300–1386) * Francesco II of Lesbos (c. 1365 – 1403/1404) * Francesco II Acciaioli (died 1460), last Duke of Athens * Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua (1466–1519), ruler of the Ita ...

# 1399 - 1429: Francesco III with Giovanni I and Aiace Pico # 1429 - 1432: Francesco III with Giovanni I

Lords of Mirandola, Counts of Concordia

# 1432 - 1451: Francesco III with Giovanni I # 1451 - 1461: Francesco III # 1461 - 1467: Gianfrancesco I # 1467 - 1499: Galeotto I (brother of philosopher

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (24 February 1463 – 17 November 1494) was an Italian Renaissance nobleman and philosopher. He is famed for the events of 1486, when, at the age of 23, he proposed to defend 900 theses on religion, philosophy, ...

) # 1499 - 1502: Gianfrancesco II # 1502 - 1504: Federico I with Ludovico I # 1504 - 1509: Ludovico I # 1509 - 1511: Galeotto II # 1511 - 1511: Gianfrancesco II # 1514 - 1533: Galeotto II

Counts of Mirandola and Concordia

# 1533 - 1550: Galeotto II # 1550 - 1558:

Ludovico II Ludovico II may refer to: * Ludovico II Gonzaga, capitano del popolo of Mantua (1334-1382) * Ludovico II Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua (1412–1478) * Ludovico II of Saluzzo Ludovico II del Vasto (23 March 1438 in Saluzzo – 27 January 1504) ...

# 1568 - 1592: Galeotto III # 1592 - 1596: Federico II

Princes of Mirandola, Marquises of Concordia

# 1596 - 1602: Federico II # 1602 - 1619: Alessandro I

Dukes of Mirandola, Marquises of Concordia

# 1619 - 1637: Alessandro I # 1637 - 1691: Alessandro II # 1691 - 1708: Francesco Maria

External links

Page at the Mirandola municipal website
{{Coord, 44, 53, N, 11, 04, E, source:kolossus-nowiki, display=title Former monarchies of Europe

Mirandola

Duchy of Modena and Reggio