ESTE, es-t3, the name of an illustrious and ancient Italian family. ALBERT Azzo II is con sidered the founder of the greatness of his house. He inherited or acquired Este, Rovigo, Montagnana, Casa! Maggiore and other places in Italy ; and was made governor of Milan by Henry III in 1045. One of his sons became Duke of Bavaria in 1071, by the title of Welf I. He was the ancestor of the German branch of the house of Este, the dukes of Brunswick and Hanover from whom the royal house of Great Britain, also called Este-Guelphs, trace their descent. Albert Azzo died 1097, having pre viously resigned his Italian possessions to his son Fulk, and retired to Burgundy. FULK I was attacked by his brother Welf, who com pelled him to become tributary to him to the extent of a third of his revenues. He was suc ceeded (1137) by his son OBIZZO I, who joined the Lombard league against Frederick Barbarossa in 1167. He d. 1193, and was succeeded by his son, who in the annals of the family is called Azzo V. Either he or Oberto acquired by mar riage Ferrara, with its dependencies in Romagna, and with a feud which became hereditary with the house of Torello, for a member of which house the bride, violently carried away by the Estes, was intended. The house of Este thus became vassals of the Church as well as of the Empire. He was succeeded by Azzo VI (d. 1212). He was constantly engaged in war with the To relli, by whom he was thrice driven from Ferrara. ALDOBRANDINO, his son, died young, and was succeeded by his brother Azzo VII, a minor, in 1215. He was engaged in protracted wars with the Ghibelline party. Honorius VII invested him with the marquisate of Ancona. He d. 1264, and was succeeded by his grandson, (Nuzzo H, who was chosen lord of Modena and Reggio. We may pass over his successors to NiccoLo III, who succeeded in 1393 at the age of nine. During his reign, and those of some of his predecessors, the house of Este became patrons of literature. Niccolo died at Milan 26 Dec. 1441. LIONSL, his son (1441-50), -re ceives a high character from Muratori for jus tice and piety, and for his patronage of letters. He mediated a peace in 1450 between the Vene tians and Alfonso, king of Sicily, and died in November of the same year. He was succeeded by his brother, Bono (d. 20 Aug. 1471), who received new accessions of dignity from the emperor, and was created Duke of Ferrara by Pope Paul II. His reign was peaceable and prosperous. ERCOLE I, his brother (d. 25 Jan. 1505), succeeded, to the prejudice of his son Niccolo. His usurpation caused a war, which was unsuccessful in deposing him. He had Milan and Florence for allies, the Pope and Venice for adversaries. After the conclusion of peace in 1484 he maintained neutrality in his estates for the remainder of his reign, while the rest of Italy was convulsed with wars 'and revolutions. He had for his minister Boiardo, the famous author of the 'Orlando Innamorato' ; and Ariosto, born near the commencement of his reign, grew up under his patronage. AL FONSO I, his son, d. 31 Oct. 1534. His reign was a contrast to the peaceable one of his father. In 1509 he joined the League of Cam brai, and commanded the Papal army as gon falonier. While conducting the operations of
the allies elsewhere, his estates were ravaged by the mercenary troops of Venice, whose atroc ities are described in the 36th canto of the 'Orlando Furioso.> Alfonso continued in the French alliance after the Pope had joined the Venetians. He assisted in the battle of Ravenna, and took prisoner Fabrizio Colonna, the general of the Pope. After the French had been driven from Italy he endeavored to make peace with the Pope; but Julius continued implacable. Leo X restored him to his possessions, with the ex ception of Modena and Reggio, but afterward excommunicated him. He joined in the wars between Francis I and Charles V on the side of the French king, but was afterward recon ciled with the emperor, who confirmed him in his possessions, against Pope Clement VII (1530). He married as his second wife the famous Lucrezia Borgia (q.v.). His brother, the Cardinal Ippolito, was the patrori of Ariosto. Alfonso was succeeded by his son, ERCOLE H, who died 3 Oct. 1559. He married Renee of France (daughter of Louis XII) in 1528. She favored the Reformation, and made the court of Ferrara the resort of the few advocates of that cause in Italy. Calvin visited it in 1535. Ercole at first adhered to the imperial party, but in 1556 joined the league of Paul IV and Henry II of France against Spain, and was made general of the allied forces; but did not push the war with vigor, and made peace with Spain in 1558. Leonora, his daughter by Renee, was the object of the unfortunate attachment of Tasso. He was succeeded by his son, ALPortso II, the patron and persecutor of Tasso, who died 27 Oct. 1597. He was succeeded by his cousin CESARE (d. 11 Dec. 1628), whom by his testament he had made his heir; but this dis position was annulled by the Pope, Clement VIII, who excommunicated Cesare and de prived him of Ferrara, with the dependencies of the Church. Cesare was obliged to content him self with Modena and Reggio, which depended on the empire. From this period the political importance of the house of Este greatly dimin ishes. ALFONSO IV, who lived in the latter half of the 17th century, was distinguished for his pat ronage of the fine arts. His daughter, Mary of Modena, was married to James II of England. RINALDO (1655-1737) by his marriage with the daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, reunited the German and Italian branches of the house. By the death of his grandson in 1803 the male line became extinct. His only daughter was married' to the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, third son of Francis I, who founded the Austrian branch of the family which existed until 1875. The last sovereign of the house was FRANCESCO V, who succeeded in 1846. In 1859, the dynasty was deposed by the National Assembly, the duchy was annexed to Sardinia by the Treaty of Zurich, 10 Nov. 1859, and has consequently been incorporated with the kingdom of Italy. Consult Browning,