ESTE, Ho•sr or. One of the oldest and most illustrious families of Italy. It owed its origin to one of the petty princes who governed Tuscany in the times of the Carolingians, and who were in all probability of Lombard extrac tion. The first whose figure is more than a mere shadow is AOALRERT, or °BERT°, Marquis of Este. one of the Italian nobles who offered the crown of Italy to Otho of Saxony. He is afterwards styled Conies Saeri Palatii, and appears to have been one of the greatest personages in the realm; he married a daughter of Otho. and died about A.D. 972. His family divided at an early period into two branches, the German and the The former was founded by WeIf or Guelfo 1V., who received the investiture of the Duehv of Bavaria from the Emperor Henry IV. in 1070; the latter by his brother Euleo I. (1060-1135). The houses of Brunswick and Hanover, and conse quently the present sovereigns of Great Britain, 'also called Este-Guelphs, are descended from the German branch. (See BRUNSWICK, HOUSE OF.) In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the history of the Italian family, as heads of the Guelph party, is interwoven with the destinies of the other ruling families and small republics of northern Italy. During this period they gained permanent possession of Ferrara and the March of Ancona (1276), and afterwards of Modena and Reggio (12SS-90). They were widely celebrated as pa trons of art and literature. One of the most illustrious was Azzo VII. (1205-64), who encour aged Provencal troubadours to settle at his Court at Ferrara, and also founded schools in that city.— ALFONSO I. ( 14S6- 1534 I was equally distinguished as a soldier and a statesman, and was celebrated by all the poets of his time, particularly by Ariosto. His second wife was Lucrezia Borgia (q.v.). His quarrel with the Popes Julius IT.. Leo X., and Clement VII. was unfortunate, as an interdict Avas laid upon him for his adherence to the League of Cambrai, and his Papal fiefs were declared forfeited. After the capture of Rome, in 1527. the Duke was restored to his former possessions by Charles V.—His successor, ERc'oLE IL (1508-59), married Renata, daughter of Louis X11. of France. and attached himself to
Charles V. lie and his brother. a dignitary of the Catholic Church, were also liberal patrons of art and sciences; the latter erected the magnifi cent Villa d'Este at Tivoli.—ALFONSO II. (died 1597) was fonder of luxury and splendor than of art and literature. He it was who persecuted the poet Tasso. He was also an unsuccessful aspirant for the Polish crown.—ALFONSO IV., who lived in the latter half of the seventeenth century. was a lover of the fine arts, and found ed the Este Gallery of Paintings at Modena. His daughter, Mary of Modena, married James II. of England.—FIINALDO (1655-1737), by his marriage with the daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-biinebu•g, united the German and Italian houses, separated since 1070. The male line of the House of Este in Italy became extinct on the death of Ercole Ill., in 1803, his posses. sions having been previously seized by the French invaders, and annexed to the Cisalpine Republic. His only (laughter married the Archduke Ferdi nand of Austria. Their eldest son, Francis IV., cousin of the Emperor Francis, was placed on the throne of Modena by the Congress of Vienna, 1814, and on his mother's death obtained the duchies of Massa and Carrara. He was succeeded by his son, Francis V.. in 1846. The family of Este was pro-Austrian in sympathy, the result of which proved fatal. In 1859 Charles V. was forced to resign his territories to Victor Emmanuel. He died in retirement in 1875, the last representative of the Este family. the title passing to the Arch duke Francis Ferdinand. nephew of Emperor Joseph. A History of the House of Este was published anonymously in London in 1681. Consult also: Symonds. Thr Rrnais.sance in Italy (London, 1875-86) ; Browning, finelfs and Ghilellines (London. 1893) : Sismondi. Italian Reim/dies, Eng. translation (London, 1832) ; Cis calm Storia d'Este dalle origini al 1S89 (Este, 1890) ; Campori and Solerti, Luigi, Luerezia c Leonora d'Este (Turin, 1888) Solerti, Ferrara c 10 carte estrnse (Castello, IS91 ).