Ferrarese noblewoman
Portrait of Marfisa d'Este
Marfisa d'Este (c.1554 in Ferrara – 16 October 1608 in Ferrara) was a Ferrarese noblewoman. She was the illegitimate daughter of Francesco d'Este and Maria Folch de Cardona . She and her sister Bradamante (born 1559) were legitimised by both pope Gregory XIII and Alfonso II d'Este . She was also notable as a patron of the arts[ 1] and the protector of Torquato Tasso .[ 2]
On 5 May 1578 she married her cousin Alfonsino di Montecchio , son of Alfonso di Montecchio , who died just under four months after the wedding. She was also left a palace that year by her father, who began building it in 1559; it was called after her Palazzina Marfisa d'Este and was slowly abandoned after her death.[ 1] She also inherited the San Silvestro building and Palazzo Schifanoia from him.
On 30 January 1580, she married Alderano Cybo-Malaspina , heir apparent of the Principality of Massa and Carrara . After the Duchy of Ferrara 's devolution to the Papal States in 1598, due to the absence of legitimate male heirs of the House of Este , Marfisa refused to join her family in Modena , and remained in Ferrara with her husband in the palace she inherited from her father.
Issue
Alderano and Marfisa had eight children:[ 3]
Carlo (1581-1662), his father's heir. Married Brigida Spinola, with issue;
Francesco (1584-1616);
Odoardo (1585-1612), colonel in the Spanish army;
Cesare (1587-1588), died in infancy;
Vittoria (1588-1635), married Ercole Pepoli, count of Castiglione;
Ferdinando (1590-1623), canon of San Lorenzo in Genoa;
Alessandro (1594-1639), knight of the Order of Malta;
Alfonso (1596).
Note
International National People