Duchy of Modena

The Este duchy, which lost its first capital to the pope and kept its second for two and a half centuries. The Este family governed Ferrara from the thirteenth century and Modena and Reggio alongside it, and when the Ferrarese line failed without legitimate heirs in 1597 the papacy claimed that fief and took it, leaving the Este with Modena as their capital - a demotion that shaped the state thereafter. The court had been among the most brilliant in Italy: Ariosto wrote Orlando Furioso for it, Tasso went mad in its service, and its library and collections went to Modena with the family. The duchy was small, squeezed between the Papal States and the larger northern powers, and survived by careful alignment - with France, then Austria, into which it married in the eighteenth century. Francis IV was among the most reactionary rulers in Italy after 1815 and put down risings in 1831. The duchy was annexed to Sardinia in 1860 after its duke fled. Balsamic vinegar and Lambrusco come from these provinces. Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini were all founded near Modena. The duchy covered Modena, Reggio and the Garfagnana. Modena has around 185 thousand people. Its Romanesque cathedral and Ghirlandina tower are a World Heritage site. The Este library survives largely intact in the city. Pavarotti was born and buried there. The Este moved their court to Modena in 1598 after the papacy took Ferrara, and their successors held it until 1859. The last duke fled in 1859 and the duchy was annexed to Piedmont by plebiscite the following year.

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