Ercole II d'Este. Ercole II d'Este was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559.
He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexander VI, nephew of Cesare Borgia, and cousin of Saint Francis Borgia.
Through his father, he was nephew of both Isabella d'Este, the First Lady of the Renaissance, and Cardinal Ippolito d'Este. His siblings included Ippolito II, Archbishop of Milan and later Cardinal, nun Leonora, and Francesco, Marchese di Massalombarda.
His half-siblings included Rodrigo Borgia of Aragon, Lucrezia's son by Alfonso of Aragon, Duke of Bisceglie, and perhaps Giovanni Borgia, the infans Romanus. Ercole played an indirect role in the 1527 Sack of Rome.
Emperor Charles V's army crossed the Alps in 1526 but was unable to bring their heavy artillery with them. They sought to make a deal with Ercole, who subsequently provided the army with the necessary artillery to later advance on and sack the city of Rome. In April 1528, he married Renée of France, the second daughter of Louis XII, King of France, and Anne of Brittany. Renée received from Francis I of France an ample dowry and annuity. Thus the court she assembled about her in Ferrara corresponded to the tradition which the cultivation of science and art implicitly required, including scholars like Bernardo Tasso and Fulvio Pellegrini Morato. Their first chil
He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexander VI, nephew of Cesare Borgia, and cousin of Saint Francis Borgia.
Through his father, he was nephew of both Isabella d'Este, the First Lady of the Renaissance, and Cardinal Ippolito d'Este. His siblings included Ippolito II, Archbishop of Milan and later Cardinal, nun Leonora, and Francesco, Marchese di Massalombarda.
His half-siblings included Rodrigo Borgia of Aragon, Lucrezia's son by Alfonso of Aragon, Duke of Bisceglie, and perhaps Giovanni Borgia, the infans Romanus. Ercole played an indirect role in the 1527 Sack of Rome.
Emperor Charles V's army crossed the Alps in 1526 but was unable to bring their heavy artillery with them. They sought to make a deal with Ercole, who subsequently provided the army with the necessary artillery to later advance on and sack the city of Rome. In April 1528, he married Renée of France, the second daughter of Louis XII, King of France, and Anne of Brittany. Renée received from Francis I of France an ample dowry and annuity. Thus the court she assembled about her in Ferrara corresponded to the tradition which the cultivation of science and art implicitly required, including scholars like Bernardo Tasso and Fulvio Pellegrini Morato. Their first chil
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