House of Este

The house of Este is a family originating in the town of Este, in Venezia, and whose genealogy goes back to Azzo II († 1097), marquis d' Este.

the elder branch (the Guelfes )

See also: Guelfes

Azzo II Maria initially with the heiress of the Guelfes of Souabe, giving rise to the elder branch, taking again the name of Welf, whose descendants reigned on many countries, in particular the Great Britain (of 1714 to 1901), the kingdom of Hanover (of 1814 to 1866), the duchy of Brunswick-Lunebourg (of 1913 to 1918)… and even temporarily on the Russia (of 1740 to 1741, with the emperor Ivan VI (1740-1764), two months old and détrôné after only one year of reign under the regency of his/her mother Anne de Mecklembourg ).

In Italy the partisans of Welf accepted the name of Guelfes.

In 1070, Welf IV (Welf I of Bavaria) (1030/40 - † November 9th 1101), wire of Azzo II and nephew of Welf III becomes duke of Bavaria and breaks the alliance which linked it with Henri IV of the Holy roman Empire. At this point in time it adopts the papal cause in Italy.
His/her son Welf V (Welf II of Bavaria), (v. 1073 - † 24 septembrer 1120), Marie besides at that time with the countess Mathilde of Tuscany, but the union was unhappy and involved a conflict between Henri IV, assisted from its old allies, and the Italian family, which was victorious. The Mathilde countess died without child and bequeathed her possession to the Holy See: Toscane, Ferrare, Modena, Mantoue, Reggio, etc What gave place to the Querelle of the Nominations.

Henri the Black, duke of Bavaria of 1120 - 1126 is the first of the three Henri of the branch.

Henri Superb the, duke of Bavaria was also duke of Saxony, was the favorite of the imperial election vis-a-vis the candidate Hohenstaufen. Overcome with the imperial election it was dispossessed of its duchies.

Henri the Lion recovered the two duchies of his/her father (it recovers Bavaria in 1156). He was married in Mathilde of England. Dispossessed of its duchies after Legnano, 1176, it was exiled in England in 1180 and there died in 1195.

His/her Othon son of Brunswick was elected with the imperial throne under the name of Othon IV (death in 1218, king then emperor of the Romans of 1198 with 1218, elected in 1198, crowned by the pope Innocent III in 1209). By the play of the marriages, Welf had acquired many possessions, of which Saxony. This new power made the family able of it to defy Hohenstaufen then. It is at that time that the capacity of Welfs collapses.

Later, in 1692, Welfs of Hanover became voters of the Holy roman Empire, then kings de Grande-Bretagne and kings de Hanovre.
One also finds a descendant of Welf in Russia, in the person of the emperor Ivan VI Antonovitch (1740 - 1764), emperor and autocrat of all the Russia S of 1740 with 1741, which was détrôné by Elisabeth Pétrovna Romanova (1709 - 1762), the last of the Romanov.

Charles-Guillaume (1735 - 1806), duke of Brunswick-Lunebourg, which as a commander-in-chief of the armies united to restore the absolute monarchy in France, published the July 25th 1792 celebrates it Manifeste of Brunswick, “to return to the king XVI] ] its freedom and to put it in a position to exert its authority legitimates”

It is with the advent of Victoria (1819 - 1901), queen of the the United Kingdom and empress of the India S which end takes the British period of the history of Welfs. Hanover will be lost in 1866 during the Guerre the Seven Week old. The refusal on behalf of Welf to recognize this defeat prevented them from inheriting Brunswick, which they will obtain a generation later with the marriage of Welf Ernest-Auguste III of Hanover and of the girl of the emperor Guillaume II of Germany. This reign will die out after the First World War.

the current chief of the house of Este, which belongs to the branch of Welfs (known as currently “house of Hanover”), is the prince Ernest-Auguste of Hanover (born in 1954), current husband of the princess Caroline of Monaco.

the branch junior (the Este of Modena)

From the second marriage of Azzo II, was born the branch junior, bearing the name of Este, which reigned on the Duché of Ferrare of 1471 to 1597 and the Duché of Modena of 1452 to 1797 and died out in 1803.

Ferrare became a significant center of culture under Nicolas III of Este (1384-1441) and its sons and successors, Lionel (1407-1450), Borso (1413-1471) and Hercules (1431-1505).

Borso was high under duke of Modena and Reggio by the emperor Frederic III in 1452, these duchies being imperial Fief S. In 1471 it accepted the duchy of Ferrare as a papal stronghold of the pope Paul II.
The brother of Borso, Hercules Ier d' Este had two girls: Béatrice (1475-1497) married Ludovic Sforza, duke of Milan and Isabelle (1474-1539) married François II Gonzague, marquis de Mantoue.
The successor of Hercules Ier was his son Alphonse I {{er}} (1476-1534), the third husband of Lucrèce Borgia. In the Bataille of Ravenne (1512) in with dimensions of the French against the Spaniards took part.
Hercules II of Este (1508-1559) wire of Alphonse married Renee, girl of Louis XII of France.
The legitimate line finishes in 1597 with the death of Alphonse II, wire of Hercules II.

The name of Este remained at Habsbourg (Maison of Lorraine). The house of Austria indeed inherited the duchy of Modena in 1814, Marie-Beatrice of Este-Modena, ultimate heiress of the house of Este, having married the archduke Ferdinand of Austria (brother of Marie-Antoinette).
Their son François IV (1779-1846) was sovereign duke of Modena and archduke of Austria-Este .

See too

House of Hanover
School of Ferrare, one of famous the Italian schools of painting. It developed under the house of Este with their support.

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