Maria d'Este (8 December 1644 – 20 August 1684) was a Modenese princess and

Duchess of Parma Duchess consort of Parma House of Farnese, 1545–1731 House of Bourbon-Anjou, 1731–1735 :None House of Habsburg, 1735–1748 House of Bourbon-Parma, 1748–1802 House of Habsburg-Lorraine, 1814–1847 House of Bourbon ...

as the wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma. She was a daughter of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and Maria Caterina Farnese.

Family

Maria was the eighth child and fourth daughter of Francesco I d'Este, the reigning Duke of Modena since 1629. Her mother was a daughter of Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma.

Biography

Maria was born in Modena to Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and his consort Maria Caterina Farnese. A member of the House of Este, she was a princess of Modena by birth. In order to cement relations between the House of Farnese, Maria's older sister Isabella d'Este had been married to Ranuccio Farnese, Duke of Parma, son of Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma and Margherita de' Medici in 1664. Isabella died in 1666 as a result of childbirth.The child she gave birth to was Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma, the father of the famous Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain. In order to preserve the union between the two ducal houses, the unmarried Maria became Ranuccio's next consort. A wedding was signed by proxies in October 1667 and formally in Modena on 1 January 1668 she was duly married to the widowed Ranuccio Farnese. The marriage produced seven children; she also had two stillborn children. Out of the seven, three survived infancy, however none of them went on to have further children. Maria died in Parma at the age of 39. Her husband survived her by ten years. Her two youngest sons, Francesco and

Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

, each became the

Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy, which existed between 1545 and 1802, and again from 1814 to 1859. The Duke of Parma was also Duke of Piacenza, except ...

. Antonio was the last member of the House of Farnese, the duchy of Parma going to the Spanish

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

in 1731. Maria was buried at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma on 21 August 1684. She has no surviving descendants.

Issue

#Isabella Francesca Maria Lucia Farnese (14 December 1668 – 9 July 1718). She was a Benedictine nun in Santa Maria di Campagna Monastery of Piacenza; #Vittoria Maria Francesca Farnese (24 December 1669 – 15 September 1671); #A son (24 June 1671 – 28 June 1671); #Vittoria Farnese (19 November 1672), twin of Caterina; #Caterina Farnese (19 November 1672), twin of Vittoria; #A son (26 December 1674); #Eleonora Farnese (1 September 1675 – 3 November 1675); # Francesco Maria Farnese (19 May 1678 – 26 February 1727) succeeded as Duke of Parma; married

Dorothea Sophie of the Palatinate Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg (Dorothea Sophie; 5 July 1670 – 15 September 1748) was Duchess of Parma from 1695 to 1727 by marriage to Francesco, Duke of Parma. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Parma for her grandson Charles of Spain betw ...

, had issue; # Antonio Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma (29 November 1679 – 20 January 1731) married Enrichetta d'Este, no issue.

Family

Biography

Issue

Ancestry

References and notes

See also