Duchy of Modena and Reggio
The Duchy of Modena and Reggio (Italian: Ducato di Modena e Reggio; Latin: Ducatus Mutinae et Regii; Emilian: Duchêt ed Mòdna e Rèz[3]) was an Italian state created in 1452 located in Northwestern Italy, in the present day region of Emilia-Romagna. It was ruled since its establishment by the noble House of Este, and since 1814 by the Austria-Este branch of the family.[4] The Este dynasty was a great sponsor of the arts, making the Duchy a cultural reference during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.[5][6]
Duchy of Modena and Reggio
House of Austria-Este[edit]
With the dissolution of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1814, following the final fall of Emperor Napoleon I after the Battle of Waterloo, Ferdinand's son, Francis IV, again assumed the rule as Duke of Modena. In December 1815 he obtained the transfer from his mother Maria Beatrice d'Este of the former imperial fiefs in Lunigiana, not reconstituted by the Congress of Vienna and bestowed upon her, and, on her death in 1829, he also inherited the territories of Duchy of Massa and Carrara belonging to her suo jure.
In the course of the Italian unification period in the 1830s-60s, the "Austria-Este" dukes were briefly ousted in the revolutions of 1831 and 1848, but soon returned.
During the Second Italian War of Independence (April to July 1859) following the Battle of Magenta, the last Duke Francis V was again forced to flee, this time permanently. In December, Modena joined with Tuscany and Parma to form the "United Provinces of Central Italy", which were annexed to the growing Kingdom of Sardinia in March 1860, which led the Italian unification movement, which further led to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
The Duke of Modena was:[7]
The Duke of Modena, since Francis V, was Grand Master of the :
Flag before 1830
Coat of arms before 1830
