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Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena

1562–1628

Born
1562, Ferrara
Country of birth
Papal States, today Italy
Died
11 Dec 1628, Modena
facts
7
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth1562, FerraraProbableDisputed1 competing claim1 source
  • TitleDuke of Ferrara and of Modena, 1597–1628Confirmed1 source
  • Death11 Dec 1628, ModenaProbable1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Ferrara

    Birth, Ferrara

  2. Child born: Alfonso III d'Este, Duke of Modena

    Birth, Ferrara

  3. Event · Duke of Ferrara and of Modena

    Event

  4. Died · Modena

    Death, Modena

What was it like?

The world around Ferrara, 1562: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Cesare was Duke of Ferrara and of Modena from 1597 to 1628.

Known for

Titles held

  • Duke of Ferrara and of Modena1597–1628
Fashion

Everyday village clothing for women

In the sixteenth-century villages of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, women's daily attire consistently included a shirt (camicia), a dress (veste), a veil, a cap (scuffia), and an apron (scossale).

Music

Public Wind Performances in Parma

Municipal wind bands, consisting of trumpeters and shawm players, performed concerts from the balcony of the town hall or in the public square.

Around 1561–1561

Chamber Music Instruments in Noble Homes

For indoor entertainment, noble households enjoyed soft-sounding instruments such as lutes, viols, and flutes, which were well-suited for chamber music and accompanying dances.

Getting around

Network of roads and mule tracks

The region relied on a network of paths and roads, including the major Via Emilia that connected Parma and Piacenza, while others like the route to Spezia were mountain mule tracks. Carriageable roads existed for local travel, such as the route between Piacenza, Rivergaro, and Travi.

Daily life

New schools and limited formal education

Duke Pier Luigi Farnese initiated the opening of numerous schools in the Duchy to teach medicine, law, and classical Greek and Latin literature. However, formal schooling remained primarily accessible to the wealthy, while peasant children were typically trained at home or through labor.

Small, dark, and smoky village homes

Common village homes were typically one-room stone or wood structures with thatched roofs, earthen floors, and no chimneys, meaning smoke escaped through roof gaps. Light was scarce because windows were few, very small, and sometimes covered only with waxed cloth.

Food
Around 1568–1574

Daily Meat and Friday Fish Habits

Ordinary families frequently consumed meat, which they bought daily, while adhering to the religious practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays by eating freshwater fish like frogs, crayfish, eels, tench, carp, and pike.

Around 1568–1574

Seasonal Fruits and Home-Made Salami

Families ate seasonal produce such as grapes in September, oranges in November, and various fruits like cherries, strawberries, and melons as summer approached. They also prepared for the colder months by buying spices, pepper, and salt in December, specifically to make salami.

Prices and wages

State-controlled prices for food staples

Municipal authorities fixed political prices for bread and meat to guarantee constant supplies to the population and prevent food-related riots.

Urban and rural bread quality differences

City dwellers in Parma received bread made from high-quality flour, while rural inhabitants relied on coarse bread made from a mixture of pulses and less-valuable cereals.

Work

Rural social classes and worker roles

In the Piacenza region, rural workers were categorized as free laborers or serfs, including specific roles like coloni (cultivators), mansionarii (residents), and massari (farm overseers). Villagers were generally prohibited from living within the city walls of Piacenza.

Urban elite and noble social roles

Urban elites climbed the social ladder through commerce, intellectual professions, and the arts, often gaining status by holding various ranks in urban government. In contrast, the noble class was increasingly required to reside in towns and attend the ducal court.

News and letters

Cost of sending a letter

By the late 16th century, the cost to send a private letter by ordinary post was 7-9 Milanese soldi per ounce, about the price of three to four loaves of bread.

Postal station network

Postal stations were ideally located about 15 miles apart, serving as hubs where couriers swapped horses and exchanged pre-packaged bundles of letters for delivery.

During their lifetime

  1. 1562

    Capital moved to Turin

    The capital of the Duchy was transferred from Chambéry to Turin in 1562, leading to the eventual marginalization of the Savoyard lands.

  2. 1576

    Plague hits Chambéry

    Between 1576 and 1586, a plague outbreak struck Chambéry and the Petit Bugey region, severely impacting the local population.

Family

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.