Ercole III Rinaldo d'Este

Ercole Rinaldo d'Este was born in Modena on November 22, 1727. He was the son of Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio and Princess Charlotte Aglaia of Orleans, daughter of Philip II , Duke of Orleans and Princess Francoise Maria de Bourbon .

In 1741, at the behest of his father, who sought to ensure access to the Tyrrhenian Sea by the possessions of the house of d'Este, the Crown Prince married Maria Theresa of Chibault Malaspin, Duchess of Massa and Carrara. The marriage was not happy. After the birth of two children, a daughter and a son, at the very beginning of their life together, the Crown Prince began to openly cheat on his wife. The couple began to live separately. Ercole Rinaldo remained at court in Modena, while Maria Teresa moved to Reggio Emilia.

In 1780, he ascended the throne of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio under the name Ercole III. Ten years later, the duke was a widow. In 1795, he entered into a morganatic marriage with one of his long-standing mistresses.

Ercole III was an enlightened, talented, and good-natured ruler. He continued the reforms initiated by his father. He built bridges and roads, improving the infrastructure of the duchy. In 1785 he founded the Academy of Arts. During his reign, culture and science flourished. The Duke patronized scientists such as Lazzaro Spallanzani , Giambattista Venturi , Girolamo Tiraboschi , Lodovico Ricci .

The invasion of the army of the French Republic under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte forced Ercole III to leave the duchy. On May 7, 1796, he fled to Venice, taking with him only personal funds, leaving the state treasury untouched. Despite this, the duke was accused by the French invaders of the opposite. They caught up with him in front of Venice and robbed him. After that, Ercole III moved to Treviso .

In 1796, his possessions were included in the structure formed by the occupation administration of the Cispadan Republic . Under the peace treaties in Campo Formio in 1797 and Luneville in 1801, Ercole III received the duchies of Bresgau and Ortenau as compensation for the lost domains. He died in Treviso on October 14, 1803, failing to regain possession of the house of d'Este.

In Massa in 1741, Crown Prince Ercole Rinaldo d'Este, the future Duke of Modena and Reggio under the name Ercole III, married Maria Theresa Francesca Cibo Malaspin (06.29.1725 - 12.25.1790), Duchess of Massa and Carrara, daughter of Alderano I Cibo Malaspin , Duke of Massa and Prince Carrara and Ricciarda Gonzaga, Countess Novellar . Two children were born in this marriage:

• Maria Beatrice Riccarda d'Este (07.07.1750 - 11.14.1829), the last Duchess of Massa and Princess Carrara, married Ferdinand of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria (01.06.1754 - 12.24.1806);
• Francesco Rinaldo d'Este (04.01.1753 - 05.05.1753), died shortly after birth.

In Modena, in 1795, the Dowager Duke was combined with an organic marriage with his long-time mistress Chiara Marini (d. 1800), who had previously been granted the formal title of Margrafini Scandiano. From her, the duke had a bastard, Ercole Rinaldo d'Este (1770 - 02.16.1795), Margaref Scandiano and general of the Modena police ^[1] .

• Gioacchino Maria Olivier-Poli. "Continuazione al Nuovo dizionario istorico degli uomini che si sono renduti piu 'celebri per talenti, virtu', scelleratezze, errori, ec., La quale abbraccia il periodo degli ultimi 40 anni dell 'era volgare." - Napoli: R. Marotta e Vanspandoch, 1824.P. 77 (Italian)

• Marina Romanello. Ercole III d'Este, duca di Modena e Reggio. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (1993). on the website www.treccani.it (Italian)