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Odoardo Farnese (12 August 1666 – 6 September 1693) was the eldest son of Duke Ranuccio II Farnese,
Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a List of historic states of Italy, historical state of Northern Italy. It was created by Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) for his son Pier Luigi Farnese, Du ...
and
Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...
. Odoardo was the ''Hereditary Prince of Parma'' from his birth until his death. He was the father of the famously domineering Elisabeth, Queen of Spain.


Biography

Odoardo was born on 21 August 1666 at the Ducal Palace of Colorno in Colorno outside the city of
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
. His father, Duke Ranuccio II Farnese, was the
Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a List of historic states of Italy, historical state of Northern Italy. It was created by Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) for his son Pier Luigi Farnese, Du ...
and of
Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...
. His mother, Isabella d´Este, was the daughter of
Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena Francesco I d'Este (6 September 1610 – 14 October 1658) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1629 until his death. The eldest son of Alfonso III d'Este, he became reigning duke after his father's abdication. Biography Born on 6 September 1610 ...
and of Maria Caterina Farnese. Thus, Odoardo's parents were first cousins to each other. He was the third child of his parents, and had two older sisters, Margherita Maria Farnese, future wife of
Francesco II d'Este, Duke of Modena Francesco II d'Este (6 March 1660 – 6 September 1694) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1662 to 1694. Biography He was born in Modena to Alfonso IV d'Este, duke of Modena, and Laura Martinozzi, niece of Cardinal Mazarin. His sister, Ma ...
, and Teresa Farnese, who never married but became a benedictine nun and abbess of the Saint Alessandro monastery in Parma. Odoardo's mother, Isabella d´Este, died some twelve days after giving birth to him. She had been his father's second wife. Odoardo's father had been previously married to Princess Margaret Yolande of Savoy, first cousin of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, but that marriage had not produced any surviving children (only two stillborn infants). After the death of Odoardo's mother, his father took a third wife, marrying the younger sister of his late spouse; thus, Odoardo's step-mother was his own aunt. This was Maria d'Este, and she bore the duke a further nine children, including two surviving sons. Among them was Francesco Farnese, twelve years younger than Odoardo, who would marry Odoardo's widow Dorothea Sophie, be a devoted and beloved step-father to Odoardo's daughter Elisabeth Farnese, and inherit the Dukedom of Parma upon the death of their father.


Marriage and issue

Odoardo Farnese married Countess Palatine Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg by proxy on 3 April 1690. The couple were married publicly at the Parma Cathedral on 17 May 1690. The marriage was negotiated by count Fabio Perletti – ambassador and counselor of Ranuccio II. The bride, who was well connected to the royalty of Europe, also brought a very large dowry to the Farnese family. Dorothea Sophia was the daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth Amalie von Hesse-Darmstadt. Three of her older sisters were, at that time, the Holy Roman Empress Consort, the Queen of Portugal and the Queen of Spain. Odoardo died before his father and therefore never ruled. His young widow, Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg, then married Odoardo's half-brother Francesco Farnese on 8 December 1695. Francesco became Duke when their father died in 1694. However, that marriage remained childless, and the Dukedom passed to Odoardo's youngest half-brother
Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan language, 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 ...
. Antonio also remained childless, and therefore it was decided that the Dukedom would pass to Odoardo's grandson
Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...
, who was one of the younger sons of Odoardo's daughter, Elizabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain.


Issue

* Alessandro Ignazio Farnese (6 December 1691 – 5 August 1693); * Elisabeth Farnese (25 October 1692 – 11 July 1766) married King
Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...
and had issue.


Ancestry


References


Sources

* *


Further reading

* ''Philip V of Spain: The King Who Reigned Twice'', by Henry Kamen, Cumberland, Rhode Island: Yale University Press (2001) {{DEFAULTSORT:Farnese, Odoardo Ii Odorado Nobility from Parma
Odoardo Odoardo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Odoardo Barri (1844–1920), the pseudonym of Edward Slater *Odoardo Beccari (1843–1920), Italian naturalist, discovered the titan arum in Sumatra in 1878 *Odoardo Borrani (1833–19 ...
1666 births 1693 deaths Heirs apparent who never acceded Burials at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata Sons of dukes