Antonio Farnese (29 November 1679 – 20 January 1731) was the eighth and final Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza. He married, in 1727, Enrichetta d'Este of Modena with the intention of begetting an heir; the marriage, however, was childless, leading to the succession of Charles of Spain–whose mother, Elisabeth Farnese, was Antonio's niece–to the ducal throne.

Born in Parma, Antonio was the third son of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma, and his wife Maria d'Este of the Modena. At the age of 18, Prince Antonio embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe with the intention of establishing contacts in courts across the continent; however, he simply dissipated 1,580,000 lire on galas.

As a prince he spent most of his time at the court of his cousin the Hereditary Prince of Modena, because his sister-in-law, Duchess Sophia Dorothea, disbarred masques and other merriments, distractions which Antonio revelled in. The castle of Sala, which he zealously enlarged and renovated, served as his Parmese residence. Here, Antonio threw lavish parties frequented by his favourite and mistress, the "domineering" Countess Margherita Bori Giusti.

By the time of his accession in February 1727, the morbidly obese Antonio had scant desire to rule. His life of hedonism continued unperturbed: he stayed up all night, sat for dinner one hour before dawn, played faro and basset and attended Countess Bori's salons on a daily basis. As there was no heir to the duchy, the secretary of state, Count Anvidi, and Bori coerced an unwilling Antonio to marry Enrichetta d'Este, the sister of his friend the Hereditary Prince of Modena. On 21 July 1727 the marriage contract was signed. His bride was adored by the people of Parma, and Antonio treated her kindly. The marriage, despite all Antonio's attempts at conception, was childless.

...
Wikipedia