Duchy of Modena and Reggio | |
|---|---|
| 1452–1796 1814–1859 | |
.svg) Coat of arms used from 1830 until 1859 | |
| Motto: Dextera Domini exaltavit me (Latin for 'The right hand of the Lord ‘has’ exalted me') | |
| Anthem: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (From 1815) "God Save Emperor Francis" Royal anthem "Popular Hymn" (Prayers to be sung during the Mass and the Blessing of the Blessed Sacrament by the Este's troops) | |
.png) The Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1815 | |
.png) The intricate southern border area of the Duchy at the end of 1815, following the acquisition of the former imperial fiefdoms of Lunigiana. | |
| Capital | Modena |
| Common languages | |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Government | Duchy |
| Duke | |
• 1452–1471 | Borso d'Este(first) |
• 1846–1859 | Francesco V(last) |
| Historical era | Early modern era |
• Created | 1452 |
| 1796 | |
• Re-established | 1814 |
• Merged to form theUnited Provinces of Central Italy | 1859 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 605,000[2] |
| Today part of | Italy |
TheDuchy of Modena and Reggio (Italian:Ducato di Modena e Reggio;Latin:Ducatus Mutinae et Regii;Emilian:Duchêt ed Mòdna e Rèz[3]) was an Italian state created in 1452 located inNorthwestern Italy, in the present day region ofEmilia-Romagna. It was ruled since its establishment by the nobleHouse of Este, and from 1814 by theAustria-Este branch of the family.[4] The Este dynasty was a great sponsor of the arts, making the Duchy a cultural reference during theRenaissance andBaroque periods.[5][6]
In 1452Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III offered the duchy toBorso d'Este, whose family had ruled the city ofModena and nearbyReggio Emilia for centuries. Borso in 1450 had also succeeded his brother asmargrave in the adjacent PapalDuchy of Ferrara, where he received the ducal title in 1471. The Este lands on the southern border of theHoly Roman Empire with thePapal States formed a stabilizing buffer state in the interest of both.
The first Este dukes ruled well and the city achieved an economic and cultural peak: Borso's successor DukeErcole I had the city of Modena rebuilt according to plans designed byBiagio Rossetti, his successors were patrons of artists likeTitian andLudovico Ariosto. In theWar of the League of Cambrai from 1508, troops from Modena fought in Papal service against theRepublic of Venice. Upon the death of DukeAlfonso II in 1597, the ducal line became extinct. The Este lands were bequeathed to Alfonso's cousinCesare d'Este; however, the succession was not acknowledged byPope Clement VIII and Ferrara was finally seized by the Papacy. Cesare was able to retain Modena and Reggio as Imperial fiefs.
In the 1628War of the Mantuan Succession, the dukes of Modena sided withHabsburg Spain and in turn received the town ofCorreggio from the hands of EmperorFerdinand II. During theWar of the Spanish Succession, DukeRinaldo was ousted byFrench troops underLouis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme, he could not return until 1707. In 1711 the smallDuchy of Mirandola was absorbed by the Este. His successorFrancesco III backed France in the 1740War of the Austrian Succession and was expelled byHabsburg forces, but his duchy was restored by the 1748Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.
In 1796 Modena was again occupied by a French army underNapoleon, who deposed DukeErcole III and created theCispadane Republic out of his territory. By the 1801Treaty of Lunéville, the last Este Duke was compensated with theBreisgau region of the formerFurther Austrian territories in southwesternGermany, and died in 1803. Following his death, the claims to the no longer existing ducal crown of Modena were inherited by his son-in-law, theHabsburg-Lorraine ArchdukeFerdinand of Austria, an uncle of EmperorFrancis II.
With the dissolution of theNapoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1814, following the final fall of EmperorNapoleon I after theBattle of Waterloo, Ferdinand's son,Francis IV, again assumed the rule as Duke of Modena. In December 1815 he obtained the transfer from his motherMaria Beatrice d'Este of the former imperial fiefs inLunigiana, not reconstituted by theCongress of Vienna and bestowed upon her, and, on her death in 1829, he also inherited the territories ofDuchy of Massa and Carrara belonging to hersuo jure.
In the course of theItalian unification period in the 1830s-60s, the "Austria-Este" dukes were briefly ousted in the revolutions of1831 and1848, but soon returned.
During theSecond Italian War of Independence (April to July 1859) following theBattle of Magenta, the last DukeFrancis V was again forced to flee, this time permanently. In December, Modena joined withTuscany andParma to form the "United Provinces of Central Italy", which were annexed to the growingKingdom of Sardinia in March 1860, which led the Italian unification movement, which further led to theproclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
The Duke of Modena was:[7]
TheDuke of Modena, sinceFrancis V, was Grand Master of the :
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