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Rinaldo d'Este

1655–1737

Born
26 Apr 1655, Modena
Country of birth
Duchy of Modena and Reggio, today Italy
Died
26 Oct 1737, Modena
facts
8
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Modena

    Birth, Modena

  2. Event · cardinal

    Event

  3. Child born: Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena

    Birth, Modena

  4. Died · Modena

    Death, Modena

What was it like?

The world around Modena, 1655: 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.

In the 1650s, court costumes introduced modern decorative elements like alamari, which were folded loops used for fasteners and ornamentation on luxury garments.

Known for

Titles held

  • cardinal1686
Fashion
Around 1650–1650

Alamari loops served as fashionable modern fasteners

In the 1650s, court costumes introduced modern decorative elements like alamari, which were folded loops used for fasteners and ornamentation on luxury garments.

Around 1640–1649

Courtly feast day costumes featured exotic feathers

For special feast day performances at court, such as those in the 1640s, noble performers wore intricate costumes featuring exotic elements like heron feathers, which were a popular decorative motif.

Music

Louder music for dancing at carnival

During a 1561 carnival celebration in Piacenza, musicians were instructed to play with increased volume as the party progressed to make the dance music more vigorous.

Lute purchased for 6 scudi

In July 1559, the court paid 6 scudi moneta to the maker Master Martino for a lute, highlighting the instrument's role in personal entertainment for the nobility.

Getting around

Land travel relied on animals and foot

In the 17th century, travel on land typically relied on the speed of horses, oxen, or walking, with carriages, mules, or foot travel being the primary methods for people to move between towns.

Slow daily travel speeds

Under normal conditions in the 17th century, travelers and cargo rarely moved more than 25 miles per day, with speeds decreasing significantly in bad weather or difficult terrain.

Daily life

Kitchen life in Piacenza's Apennines

In the Piacenza Apennines, the kitchen was the family hub, featuring a large, protruding wooden hood over a hearth where fires were sometimes built directly on the floor. Wealthy families often built niches into the walls beside the fireplace, allowing them to rest and stay warm near the fire.

Ursuline education for girls

Ursuline sisters in Parma and Piacenza managed a unique form of cloister that allowed them to leave their homes to attend church and teach local girls. Families valued this education because it provided a controlled way for their daughters to be seen in public.

Food

Bread and subsistence diets

City dwellers often ate bread made with fine flour, while rural families frequently relied on coarser bread mixtures containing pulses and less valuable cereals. In times of extreme hardship, rural inhabitants might sustain themselves primarily on beans and chestnuts.

Taxes on everyday foods

During the mid-17th century, authorities imposed specific taxes on everyday food items including cheese, fruits, wine, cakes, pastries, salami, and fresh pork.

Prices and wages

Regulated bread and food distribution during crises

In times of famine, authorities in the Duchy fixed maximum daily purchase quantities for cereals to limit speculation. They also opened state-run shops to sell bread made from lower-quality cereals and pulses at low, controlled prices to help the poorest citizens.

Around 1625–1649

High salt costs impacted livestock economy

Salt was so expensive in the Duchy of Savoy that officials feared high prices ruined households and discouraged farmers from giving necessary portions to their cattle. This high cost of salt negatively affected milk, cheese, and meat production.

Work

Peasant Rents and Sales

Peasant families paying rent for land often paid in money and agricultural products, such as an inescapable pair of capons due by November 11th, St. Martin's Day. They supplemented their income by selling surplus wine, poultry, eggs, and cheese.

Unpaid Apprenticeships for Bakers

To become a professional baker, an apprentice often had to work for free for at least five years. Only the most skilled apprentices were eventually awarded a salary.

News and letters

Affordable letter delivery for commoners

Ordinary people could send letters via prearranged couriers on regular timetables, with costs dropping enough to be affordable for a middling class of society. Sending a letter might cost the equivalent of three or four loaves of bread.

Postal networks and information flow

Postal systems connected smaller courts like Parma and Piacenza to larger European networks, using established nodes and courier routes. News and letters often relied on these relay systems where postmasters helped diffuse information and newsletters.

During their lifetime

  1. 1655

    Piedmontese Easter massacre of 1655

    In 1655, a brutal military campaign against the Waldensian religious minority, known as the Piedmontese Easter, resulted in the massacre of 4,000 to 6,000 civilians.

  2. 1666

    Sale of judicial offices in 1666

    Duke Charles Emmanuel II reformed administrative and tax systems in 1666 by allowing the sale of major judicial offices to the highest bidder to support ducal finances.

  3. 1686

    1686 ban on Reformed religion

    Following pressure from Louis XIV, Duke Victor Amadeus II issued an edict on 31 January 1686 that prohibited the Reformed religion and forced Waldensians to choose between conversion or exile.

  4. 1690

    Famine during 1690s war occupation

    Due to war-related requisitions and bad harvests starting in 1690, families in the mountainous Tarentaise and Maurienne provinces were reduced to eating ground shells and nuts mixed with small amounts of oats or barley.

  5. 1695

    Hospice for the Poor established in 1695

    In 1695, Duke Rinaldo I established the Hospice for the Poor to manage the large influx of beggars and unemployed people in the city of Modena.

  6. 1702

    French forces occupied Modena in 1702

    French troops occupied Modena in August 1702, forcing Duke Rinaldo and his court to flee to Bologna during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Family

Parents

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.