Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena
| Alfonso III d'Este | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Modena and Reggio | |
 |
|
| Born |
22 October 1591 Ferrara |
| Died | 26 May 1644 (aged 52) Castelnuovo di Garfagnana |
| Spouse | Isabella of Savoy |
| Issue | Margherita, Duchess of Guastalla Francesco, Duke of Modena Anna Beatrice, Duchess of Mirandola Cardinal Obizzo Cardinal Rinaldo |
| House | Este |
| Father | Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena |
| Mother | Virginia de' Medici |
Alfonso III d'Este (22 October 1591 – 26 May 1644) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1628 to 1629. He was the husband of Princess Isabella of Savoy, daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and his wife Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain.
Born in Ferrara, he was the son of Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena and Virginia de' Medici. In 1613 he took part in the war against Lucca and had a primary role in the assassination of count Ercole Pepoli, who was disputing the duchy with Cesare, at Ferrara (1617).
In 1608 he was married to Isabella of Savoy, daughter of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy. Profoundly in love with her, when she died in 1626 he started to think to take religious vows. When his father died in 1628, Alfonso became Duke of Modena and Reggio. However, in July 1629 he announced his abdication from the Castle of Sassuolo. On September 8 of the same year he entered the Capuchin friars at Merano under the name of fra' Giambattista da Modena.
He was distinguished as a preacher and helper of dying people during the pestilence which struck the Duchy in 1630–1631. In the following year he returned to Modena, but his discourses against the costumes of the court made him unwelcome, so he retired to a convent in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, built by his son, Duke Francesco I, where he died in 1644.
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