Enrichetta d'Este
Encyclopedia
Enrichetta d'Este was an Italian noblewoman. She was the Duchess of Parma by marriage to Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
, who was her first cousin as well as an uncle of Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain.
Her father Rinaldo d'Este had been Duke of Modena and Reggio since the death in 1695 of his nephew Francesco II d'Este, Duke of Modena. Her mother was Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg, daughter of John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
and his French-born wife Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
. Her mother was a first cousin of George I of Great Britain
, Ernest, Duke of York and Albany, and Sophia Charlotte of Hanover
, wife of Frederick I of Prussia
.
Enrichetta's own first cousins included Maria Josepha of Austria
, Electress of Saxony; Maria Amalia of Austria
, Holy Roman Empress; Mary of Modena
, queen consort of James II of England
. Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma, father of Elisabeth Farnese, was another Farnese cousin.
In 1720 Francesco married Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, the daughter of Philippe d'Orléans
, the Régent
of France during the childhood of King Louis XV
. While at the Modenese court, Charlotte Aglaé got on well with Enrichetta and her older sisters Benedetta Maria Ernesta (1697–1777) and Amalia Giuseppina (1699–1778).
Enrichetta was engaged to Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
, whose mother Maria d'Este
was Enrichetta's aunt. They were married with magnificent ceremonies in Modena on 5 February 1728, with her brother Francesco acting as proxy for Antonio.
She travelled to Parma
where she made a magnificent entry to the city on 6 July 1728, greeted at the Porta San Michele by crowds of cheerers and onlookers. Celebrations in the local area lasted as late as 1730. Antonio frequently visited the Modenese court and was close to Erichetta's brother.
The marriage had been arranged by Antonio's secretary of state, Count Anvidi, and Bori coerced an unwilling Antonio to marry Enrichetta, his friend Francesco's sister. The marriage, despite all Antonio's attempts at conception, was childless.
Antonio died on 20 January 1731. The previous day, he had announced that Enrichetta was pregnant; after his death, a Regency council for the potential heir was formed, consisting of Enrichetta, a bishop, the first Secretary of State and two gentlemen of the Court.
It was decided that, should the child be female, the duchy of Parma
would revert to the Infante Don Carlos
(then aged 12), eldest of the three sons of Elisabeth Farnese, wife of Philip V of Spain
, niece of Antonio by his older half-brother Odoardo, who had been heir-apparent to the duchy but predeceased their father.
The duchess was examined by many doctors without any confirmation of pregnancy. As a result, the Second Treaty of Vienna
on 22 July 1731 officially recognised the young Infante Don Charles as the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, pursuant to the Treaty of London
(1718).
Since he was still a minor, his maternal grandmother Dorothea Sophie of the Palatinate, Odoardo's widow, was named regent.
As Enrichetta continued to maintain that she was pregnant, Dorothea ordered that she be examined by four midwives, who then reported that Enrichetta was in fact seven months pregnant. The news was reported around Parma then around the European courts. However, Queen Elisabeth in Spain convinced her mother to have Enrichetta examined again in September 1731; it was then reported that there was in fact no child, and the House of Farnese was extinct.
Shunned by her father's court in Modena, the dowager duchess moved into the Ducal Palace of Colorno
, where she was under virtual house arrest with an escort of Swiss Guards. In December 1731, she was forced to return to the Ducal Palace in Parma in order to return the crown jewels of Parma to Dorothea, who was made head of the regency council on 29 December 1731.
She stayed in Parma, splitting her time between Piacenza
, Borgo San Donnino and Cortemaggiore
.
On 23 March 1740 in Piacenza
, Enrichetta married Leopold of Hesse-Darmstadt, son of Landgrave
Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt
and Marie Therese of Croÿ. Enrichetta and Leopold had no children.
Leopold died in 1764 leaving Enrichetta a widow for the second time. Enrichetta herself died on 30 January 1777 aged seventy four. She was buried at the Convent of the Capuciner, in Fidenza
.
Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
Antonio Farnese was the eighth and ultimate 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...
, who was her first cousin as well as an uncle of Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain.
Background and family
Enrichetta was the third daughter of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena and his wife Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Her older brother Prince Francesco was the heir to the duchy of Modena.Her father Rinaldo d'Este had been Duke of Modena and Reggio since the death in 1695 of his nephew Francesco II d'Este, Duke of Modena. Her mother was Charlotte of Brunswick-Lüneburg, daughter of John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
John Frederick was duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and ruled over the Principality of Calenberg, a subdivision of the duchy, from 1665 until his death....
and his French-born wife Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate was a German princess, the third and youngest daughter of Edward of the Palatinate and his French wife, the political hostess Anna Gonzaga...
. Her mother was a first cousin of George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
, Ernest, Duke of York and Albany, and Sophia Charlotte of Hanover
Sophia Charlotte of Hanover
Sophia Charlotte of Hanover was the Queen consort of Prussia as wife of Frederick I of Prussia. She was the daughter of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, and Sophia of the Palatinate...
, wife of Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I of Prussia
Frederick I , of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia in personal union . The latter function he upgraded to royalty, becoming the first King in Prussia . From 1707 he was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
.
Enrichetta's own first cousins included Maria Josepha of Austria
Maria Josepha of Austria
Maria Josepha of Austria was born an Archduchess of Austria, and from 1711 to 1713 was heiress presumptive to the Habsburg Empire...
, Electress of Saxony; Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria was the younger daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Holy Roman Empress; Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena was Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of King James II and VII. A devout Catholic, Mary became, in 1673, the second wife of James, Duke of York, who later succeeded his older brother Charles II as King James II...
, queen consort of James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. Odoardo Farnese, Hereditary Prince of Parma, father of Elisabeth Farnese, was another Farnese cousin.
Biography
Born in Modena, she was the youngest of five surviving children; two younger siblings died shortly after birth, and their mother died in childbirth. Only two of the five would marry: Enrichetta and her brother Francesco.In 1720 Francesco married Charlotte Aglaé d'Orléans, the daughter of Philippe d'Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, the Régent
Régence
The Régence is the period in French history between 1715 and 1723, when King Louis XV was a minor and the land was governed by a Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, the nephew of Louis XIV of France....
of France during the childhood of King Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
. While at the Modenese court, Charlotte Aglaé got on well with Enrichetta and her older sisters Benedetta Maria Ernesta (1697–1777) and Amalia Giuseppina (1699–1778).
Enrichetta was engaged to Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
Antonio Farnese, Duke of Parma
Antonio Farnese was the eighth and ultimate 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...
, whose mother Maria d'Este
Maria d'Este
Maria d'Este was a Modenese princess and Duchess of Parma as the wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma. She was a daughter of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena and Maria Caterina Farnese.-Family:...
was Enrichetta's aunt. They were married with magnificent ceremonies in Modena on 5 February 1728, with her brother Francesco acting as proxy for Antonio.
She travelled to Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
where she made a magnificent entry to the city on 6 July 1728, greeted at the Porta San Michele by crowds of cheerers and onlookers. Celebrations in the local area lasted as late as 1730. Antonio frequently visited the Modenese court and was close to Erichetta's brother.
The marriage had been arranged by Antonio's secretary of state, Count Anvidi, and Bori coerced an unwilling Antonio to marry Enrichetta, his friend Francesco's sister. The marriage, despite all Antonio's attempts at conception, was childless.
Antonio died on 20 January 1731. The previous day, he had announced that Enrichetta was pregnant; after his death, a Regency council for the potential heir was formed, consisting of Enrichetta, a bishop, the first Secretary of State and two gentlemen of the Court.
It was decided that, should the child be female, the duchy of Parma
Duchy of Parma
The Duchy of Parma was created in 1545 from that part of the Duchy of Milan south of the Po River, as a fief for Pope Paul III's illegitimate son, Pier Luigi Farnese, centered on the city of Parma....
would revert to the Infante Don Carlos
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
(then aged 12), eldest of the three sons of Elisabeth Farnese, wife of Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, niece of Antonio by his older half-brother Odoardo, who had been heir-apparent to the duchy but predeceased their father.
The duchess was examined by many doctors without any confirmation of pregnancy. As a result, the Second Treaty of Vienna
Treaty of Vienna (1731)
The Treaty of Vienna was first signed on 16 March 1731 by Count Finzendorf and the Earl of Chesterfield. This treaty marked the collapse of the Anglo-French Alliance , the beginning of the Anglo-Austrian Alliance and the birth of the legend of the natural enmity between the Kingdom of France and...
on 22 July 1731 officially recognised the young Infante Don Charles as the Duke of Parma and Piacenza, pursuant to the Treaty of London
Treaty of London
The Treaty of London may refer to:* Treaty of London , which ceded western France to England, repudiated by the Estates-General in Paris on 19 May 1359* Treaty of London , a non-aggression pact between the major European nations...
(1718).
Since he was still a minor, his maternal grandmother Dorothea Sophie of the Palatinate, Odoardo's widow, was named regent.
As Enrichetta continued to maintain that she was pregnant, Dorothea ordered that she be examined by four midwives, who then reported that Enrichetta was in fact seven months pregnant. The news was reported around Parma then around the European courts. However, Queen Elisabeth in Spain convinced her mother to have Enrichetta examined again in September 1731; it was then reported that there was in fact no child, and the House of Farnese was extinct.
Shunned by her father's court in Modena, the dowager duchess moved into the Ducal Palace of Colorno
Ducal Palace of Colorno
The Ducal Palace, also known as Reggia di Colorno, is an edifice in the territory of Colorno , Emilia Romagna, Italy. It was built by Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma in the early 18th century on the remains of a former castle.-History:...
, where she was under virtual house arrest with an escort of Swiss Guards. In December 1731, she was forced to return to the Ducal Palace in Parma in order to return the crown jewels of Parma to Dorothea, who was made head of the regency council on 29 December 1731.
She stayed in Parma, splitting her time between Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
, Borgo San Donnino and Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore
Cortemaggiore is an Italian comune located in the Province of Piacenza.Founded in the 1479 by the Pallavicino family, over an old roman site, it was the capital of the ancient Stato Pallavicino....
.
On 23 March 1740 in Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
, Enrichetta married Leopold of Hesse-Darmstadt, son of Landgrave
Landgrave
Landgrave was a title used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor...
Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt
Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt
Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt was a Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt, Imperial Field marshal and Governor of Mantua.- Life :...
and Marie Therese of Croÿ. Enrichetta and Leopold had no children.
Leopold died in 1764 leaving Enrichetta a widow for the second time. Enrichetta herself died on 30 January 1777 aged seventy four. She was buried at the Convent of the Capuciner, in Fidenza
Fidenza
Fidenza is a town and comune in the province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. It has around 24,000 inhabitants. The town was renamed Fidenza in 1927, recalling its Roman name of Fidentia; before, it was called Borgo San Donnino.-History:...
.
Titles and styles
- 27 May 1702 – 5 February 1728 Her Highness Princess Enrichetta of Modena
- 5 February 1728 – 20 January 1731 Her Highness the Duchess of Parma
- 20 January 1731 – 23 March 1740 Her Highness the Dowager Duchess of Parma
- 23 March 1740 – 27 Octocter 1764 Her Serene Highness Landgravine Leopold of Hesse-Darmstadt
- 27 Octocter 1764 – 30 January 1777 Her Serene Highness the Dowager Landgravine Leopold of Hesse-Darmstadt